I recently had the chance to sit down and watch a movie with my girls. Taylor wanted to see Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. The movie stars Dustin Hoffman as Mr. Magorium, Jason Bateman as the accountant that Magorium refers to as Mutant, and Natalie Portman as Magorium's apprentice Mahoney.
In the movie, Mr. Magorium is to toys what Willy Wonka is to chocolate! Mr. Magorium decides that it is time for him to leave the store and this world. He claims to have lived over a 100 years. He plans on leaving the store to Mahoney. Mahoney is not at all excited about Mr. Magorium choosing to leave. She takes him out on the town to show him all the neat things he would miss if he was not around. During this adventure Mr. Magorium says a line that really speaks to me as a wife, mom, teacher, and friend. The quote is as follows....."Life is an occasion. So rise to it!
Wow! How powerful is that?? I hope to instill this philosophy on to my own personal children and also to the 16 minds of children that I teach daily.
Life really is an occasion!!!
We should:
RISE to the challenges,
RISE to the difficult situations that face us daily,
RISE to our full potential!
So whatever comes your way! Rise to it!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Our field trip to Lexington County Museum
Today was our field trip to Lexington County Museum. This is a wonderful trip back in time to the Colonial Period. What amazes me is this place is nestled in the heart of Lexington, yet it is so quiet you would never guess you are inside the city limits!
My class had to divide in half. Six students got to visit The Kitchen and The One Room Schoolhouse. The other half also got to visit The One Room Schoolhouse and The Pasttime Toys. I had the help of three wonderful parents who helped tremendously with keeping everyone on track! Mr. Keisler, Mrs. Maxson, and Mrs. Handley were kind enough to give up their day and travel back in time with us!
The One Room Schoolhouse was quite different for the children to imagine. They had a hard time relating to how children could learn without SMART Boards, TV's bathrooms, water fountains, and of course a cafeteria! They really did enjoy the games at recess and they all got a chance to write their name with an ink quill. They quickly realized that writing with a quill may look easy but was hard and the ink would blot if you had too much ink on the end of your feather.
The toys from that period were so much fun for the children to experience. The church dolls made of handkerchiefs and penny wooden dolls were interesting objects that the children got to touch and feel. They also liked the tops and saw buzz spinners. We made connections to the FOSS kits from last year in first grade where we made zoomers and tops.
The Kitchen was also very interesting for the children. That group got to see how hard the moms worked to run the kitchen and keep a well balanced diet on the table! No Kroger's or Bi-Lo's back then. All the food was grown on the farm and all the meat was raised on the farm to eat.
We discussed how the Colonialist were really the pioneers of recycling. They used everything they grew. The corn husks were used to make dolls, the corn cobs were made into dolls and doll clothes were fashioned from old clothes that were torn or worn out.
I will post pictures as soon as I get them downloaded. Look for a photo story to appear soon on our web page.
We hope to make some Handkerchief Church Dolls and Saw buzzes next week in class. I have ordered some wooden tops that I hope the children will be able to decorate and enjoy spinning for awhile.
Stay tuned for more updates from Perkins' Pups as we get ready to learn more from The Colonial Period next week!
My class had to divide in half. Six students got to visit The Kitchen and The One Room Schoolhouse. The other half also got to visit The One Room Schoolhouse and The Pasttime Toys. I had the help of three wonderful parents who helped tremendously with keeping everyone on track! Mr. Keisler, Mrs. Maxson, and Mrs. Handley were kind enough to give up their day and travel back in time with us!
The One Room Schoolhouse was quite different for the children to imagine. They had a hard time relating to how children could learn without SMART Boards, TV's bathrooms, water fountains, and of course a cafeteria! They really did enjoy the games at recess and they all got a chance to write their name with an ink quill. They quickly realized that writing with a quill may look easy but was hard and the ink would blot if you had too much ink on the end of your feather.
The toys from that period were so much fun for the children to experience. The church dolls made of handkerchiefs and penny wooden dolls were interesting objects that the children got to touch and feel. They also liked the tops and saw buzz spinners. We made connections to the FOSS kits from last year in first grade where we made zoomers and tops.
The Kitchen was also very interesting for the children. That group got to see how hard the moms worked to run the kitchen and keep a well balanced diet on the table! No Kroger's or Bi-Lo's back then. All the food was grown on the farm and all the meat was raised on the farm to eat.
We discussed how the Colonialist were really the pioneers of recycling. They used everything they grew. The corn husks were used to make dolls, the corn cobs were made into dolls and doll clothes were fashioned from old clothes that were torn or worn out.
I will post pictures as soon as I get them downloaded. Look for a photo story to appear soon on our web page.
We hope to make some Handkerchief Church Dolls and Saw buzzes next week in class. I have ordered some wooden tops that I hope the children will be able to decorate and enjoy spinning for awhile.
Stay tuned for more updates from Perkins' Pups as we get ready to learn more from The Colonial Period next week!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Talking and Seeing John
On Wednesday, Novemeber 5, we were able to call our good friend and classmate, John.
We had Mr. Finelli set up a webcam and John had one also. We were able to each talk to John but most importantly, we got to see his smilling face. The kids were really interested to see what his house looked liked. His mom and sisters were there so we enjoyed getting to talk to them also! We had some special guest drop by to say hello to the Gray Family. Ms. Carnell was able to stop by after her meeting. Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Livingston also stopped by for a quick hello!
Technology is wonderful and I am amazed at how we can communicate with others through the science of technology! As long as the server is not down.....we are in business!
We look forward to calling John again in a few weeks! We can't wait to see what else John and the Gray Family are up to! We also got a request from Maya to get some more teachers in to talk to them! Hopefully, Mrs. Lominack and Dr. Rood will be able to drop by for a webcam visit also!
Have a wonderful weekend!
We had Mr. Finelli set up a webcam and John had one also. We were able to each talk to John but most importantly, we got to see his smilling face. The kids were really interested to see what his house looked liked. His mom and sisters were there so we enjoyed getting to talk to them also! We had some special guest drop by to say hello to the Gray Family. Ms. Carnell was able to stop by after her meeting. Mrs. Bowles and Mrs. Livingston also stopped by for a quick hello!
Technology is wonderful and I am amazed at how we can communicate with others through the science of technology! As long as the server is not down.....we are in business!
We look forward to calling John again in a few weeks! We can't wait to see what else John and the Gray Family are up to! We also got a request from Maya to get some more teachers in to talk to them! Hopefully, Mrs. Lominack and Dr. Rood will be able to drop by for a webcam visit also!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Electing to Make Good Choices!
"We Elect to be Drug Free"
This week we have been learning about making good choices for ourselves. We have been talking about "Saying No to Drugs". The slogan this year flowed nicely with the upcoming election on Tuesday. We discussed the meaning of the word "elect". The children were right on target and came up with: select, opt, vote for, make up my mind to do, choose!
We also have been learning about the three branches of government and how government officials are elected. We saw several different "Brain Pop" videos on government and election processes this past week!
We also learned a lot about bats as we read two stories, Stellaluna and The Great Ball Game. We compared bats to birds and learned some interesting facts about bats.
Bats are the only flying mammals.
Certain bats eat fish, insects, flowers, and fruit.
The largest bat is called the "flying fox". It can have a wingspan of 6 feet.
Bats like to sleep upside down.
Bats use echolocation to see their way through the dark night sky.
Stay tuned for more info!!!!
This week we have been learning about making good choices for ourselves. We have been talking about "Saying No to Drugs". The slogan this year flowed nicely with the upcoming election on Tuesday. We discussed the meaning of the word "elect". The children were right on target and came up with: select, opt, vote for, make up my mind to do, choose!
We also have been learning about the three branches of government and how government officials are elected. We saw several different "Brain Pop" videos on government and election processes this past week!
We also learned a lot about bats as we read two stories, Stellaluna and The Great Ball Game. We compared bats to birds and learned some interesting facts about bats.
Bats are the only flying mammals.
Certain bats eat fish, insects, flowers, and fruit.
The largest bat is called the "flying fox". It can have a wingspan of 6 feet.
Bats like to sleep upside down.
Bats use echolocation to see their way through the dark night sky.
Stay tuned for more info!!!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Weather Hat Projects Revealed:
Be sure to check out the pictures of the "Weather Hats" that our children created! They were awesome. We got to parade through the halls of DFES and let Kindergarten and First grade see what we had done!
The children loved sharing their project with the whole class. Several Weather Hats are on disply in the case by the cafeteria. All other hats are on display in the library. If you get a chance you can stop by and see all of second grades!
Click on the link to see the pictures of Perkins' Pups!
http://www.lex5.k12.sc.us/webpages/eperkins/meteorologist.cfm?subpage=34363
Bon Jour!
We had a real treat on Wednesday! We were able to call and talk to John in France! It was 12:30pm our time and 6:30 pm his time. John has a phone number through Vonage so we were able to call for free! It was so good to hear his voice! The children loved connecting with him also! He was able to tell us a little bit about school. Each child got to say hello to him. Even the new children in our class were able to introduce themselves to him! He is missed a lot by the Pups!!!
John has every Wednesday off from school. We hope to try and call him every other week!
Stay tuned for more exciting news from the class!
Be sure to check out the pictures of the "Weather Hats" that our children created! They were awesome. We got to parade through the halls of DFES and let Kindergarten and First grade see what we had done!
The children loved sharing their project with the whole class. Several Weather Hats are on disply in the case by the cafeteria. All other hats are on display in the library. If you get a chance you can stop by and see all of second grades!
Click on the link to see the pictures of Perkins' Pups!
http://www.lex5.k12.sc.us/webpages/eperkins/meteorologist.cfm?subpage=34363
Bon Jour!
We had a real treat on Wednesday! We were able to call and talk to John in France! It was 12:30pm our time and 6:30 pm his time. John has a phone number through Vonage so we were able to call for free! It was so good to hear his voice! The children loved connecting with him also! He was able to tell us a little bit about school. Each child got to say hello to him. Even the new children in our class were able to introduce themselves to him! He is missed a lot by the Pups!!!
John has every Wednesday off from school. We hope to try and call him every other week!
Stay tuned for more exciting news from the class!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Today we had the fun experience of hearing from a member of the NOAA. Mr. Steve is a weatherman for the National Weather association here in Columbia. NOAA is located by the Columbia Airport.
Mr. Steve showed us some neat photos of floods, tornados, hurricanes, thunderstorms and lightning.
In a flood, if you are driving remember to "Stop.. turn around... don't Drown!" Never try to drive your car through a flooded street or road.
Make sure you get to higher ground than the water level.
In a tornado, get to the lowest level in your house. If you don't have a basement, then hide in a hallway or interior room without windows.
NOAA sends up weather ballooons twice a day. The device takes readings on wind speeds and directions, the height of clouds, and the humidity in the air.
The satellite above the earth tracks storms in the sea. Hurricanes can be spotted, photographed, and measured from space.
Tornados may gather together to form a huge tornado. Tornados can be very destructible. They can uproot tress, tear down homes and throw heavy cars a mile away.
Lightning can strike you even if the storm is 10 miles away. You know you are in a strike zone when the hair on your head and body stand up!
Watch out for other cars when the weather is foggy. Turn on your lights and drive slow. Fog is low lying clouds close to the ground.
Special airplanes can fly into Hurricanes to get information and readings on the storm.
The eye of the hurricane is the calmest place to be in the storm.
We discussed the water cycle. The water evaporates into the air. It makes water vapor that is hard to see. If the water vapor is turned fast enough then a tornado can be formed. If not, then the water can turn to rain, fall to the earth, run off into the lakes, rivers or oceans. Then the process begins again.
Sleet is hard forms of ice that fall from the sky. If you find a ball of sleet. Cut it open. You can count the rings to see how many times the ball rose and fell in the cloud before it hit the ground.
Be sure to check out our daily podcasts for the weather in our area!
Mr. Steve showed us some neat photos of floods, tornados, hurricanes, thunderstorms and lightning.
In a flood, if you are driving remember to "Stop.. turn around... don't Drown!" Never try to drive your car through a flooded street or road.
Make sure you get to higher ground than the water level.
In a tornado, get to the lowest level in your house. If you don't have a basement, then hide in a hallway or interior room without windows.
NOAA sends up weather ballooons twice a day. The device takes readings on wind speeds and directions, the height of clouds, and the humidity in the air.
The satellite above the earth tracks storms in the sea. Hurricanes can be spotted, photographed, and measured from space.
Tornados may gather together to form a huge tornado. Tornados can be very destructible. They can uproot tress, tear down homes and throw heavy cars a mile away.
Lightning can strike you even if the storm is 10 miles away. You know you are in a strike zone when the hair on your head and body stand up!
Watch out for other cars when the weather is foggy. Turn on your lights and drive slow. Fog is low lying clouds close to the ground.
Special airplanes can fly into Hurricanes to get information and readings on the storm.
The eye of the hurricane is the calmest place to be in the storm.
We discussed the water cycle. The water evaporates into the air. It makes water vapor that is hard to see. If the water vapor is turned fast enough then a tornado can be formed. If not, then the water can turn to rain, fall to the earth, run off into the lakes, rivers or oceans. Then the process begins again.
Sleet is hard forms of ice that fall from the sky. If you find a ball of sleet. Cut it open. You can count the rings to see how many times the ball rose and fell in the cloud before it hit the ground.
Be sure to check out our daily podcasts for the weather in our area!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
September Ends.......
The weather is cooler and the leaves are starting to fall. Well....last weekend it was a bit cooler but with temperatures reaching the high 80's it is still feeling like summer instead of autumn.
Today...the children wrote their September writings for the end of the month. They are really getting into and remembering what they are learning.......like nouns, pronouns, synonyms, compound words! I love it!!!! I know that they are really grasping a concept when they can tell me what they are learning.
I am really trying to talk less and let the kids run the discussions in the classroom. This is a challenge because that means that I have to give up control and let them facilitate where the learning is going!
Wish me luck and I hope that it works!
Oops....gotta run! The kids are coming back from the library!
Today...the children wrote their September writings for the end of the month. They are really getting into and remembering what they are learning.......like nouns, pronouns, synonyms, compound words! I love it!!!! I know that they are really grasping a concept when they can tell me what they are learning.
I am really trying to talk less and let the kids run the discussions in the classroom. This is a challenge because that means that I have to give up control and let them facilitate where the learning is going!
Wish me luck and I hope that it works!
Oops....gotta run! The kids are coming back from the library!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Looping is Awesome!
Dear Parents,
> WOW!!! I can not believe how great things have been going for our class over the last few days! The children have grown and changed so much over the summer. I keep thinking back to their first day in First Grade. I remember how little they were and how much explaining I had to do over every procedure. It is so rewarding to see the growth and begin to capitalize on their knowledge!
>
> Today we read a book called Miss Nelson is Missing. In the book the children are unruly and Miss Nelson decides to bring in a mean substitute called Miss Viola Swamp to get the kids back on track. After the story we divided into 3 smaller groups to cooperatively work together to create a poster based on three items: Good Teacher, Good Student, and Good School. I sat back and "kid watched" the groups talking among themselves and thinking out loud what they should write on their poster. It was so interesting to hear them working out their issues and making decisions on who would write and which way to turn the poster. Their words were so appropriate. It is what I would call "Wondrous Words". The conversation among the groups was very meaningful and no one wanted to discuss what they would eat for lunch or play at recess.
>
> I just thought you may enjoy hearing about some of the awesome things that are occurring in our class!
>
> Please remember to contact me any time. My email is eperkins@lex5.k12.sc.us . I will respond back to you as soon as I can!
>
> Also, don't forget to check out our class web page at www.lex5.k12.sc.us/webpages/eperkins
> I have been working on it but it is always a work in progress!
>
> Again, thank you for allowing your child to be a part of this class!
> I look forward to many more "rewarding moments" this year!
> Emily Perkins
>
> WOW!!! I can not believe how great things have been going for our class over the last few days! The children have grown and changed so much over the summer. I keep thinking back to their first day in First Grade. I remember how little they were and how much explaining I had to do over every procedure. It is so rewarding to see the growth and begin to capitalize on their knowledge!
>
> Today we read a book called Miss Nelson is Missing. In the book the children are unruly and Miss Nelson decides to bring in a mean substitute called Miss Viola Swamp to get the kids back on track. After the story we divided into 3 smaller groups to cooperatively work together to create a poster based on three items: Good Teacher, Good Student, and Good School. I sat back and "kid watched" the groups talking among themselves and thinking out loud what they should write on their poster. It was so interesting to hear them working out their issues and making decisions on who would write and which way to turn the poster. Their words were so appropriate. It is what I would call "Wondrous Words". The conversation among the groups was very meaningful and no one wanted to discuss what they would eat for lunch or play at recess.
>
> I just thought you may enjoy hearing about some of the awesome things that are occurring in our class!
>
> Please remember to contact me any time. My email is eperkins@lex5.k12.sc.us . I will respond back to you as soon as I can!
>
> Also, don't forget to check out our class web page at www.lex5.k12.sc.us/webpages/eperkins
> I have been working on it but it is always a work in progress!
>
> Again, thank you for allowing your child to be a part of this class!
> I look forward to many more "rewarding moments" this year!
> Emily Perkins
>
Weather or Not.....Here We Learn
Hello Fellow Students......
I hope you enjoyed making your wind twirlies today. What fun we had with the challenges of getting the straw through the tiny whole!
Remember that we will take these home. Show your family and describe to them how it was made. Then go outside and see if the wind is blowing hard enough to make it twirl!
I hope you enjoyed making your wind twirlies today. What fun we had with the challenges of getting the straw through the tiny whole!
Remember that we will take these home. Show your family and describe to them how it was made. Then go outside and see if the wind is blowing hard enough to make it twirl!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
