Happy First Day of Fall

I may have mentioned before that I am trying to do something different with all my classes at least one time a month. Something non-academic, just fun. I've been scouring the internet looking for odd holidays that I can celebrate for those months that don't have something obvious. Of course, September already had something I always look forward to...

THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN

First hour I have 9th graders for Algebra and we decided to bob for apples. It was no easy task to get everyone involved! I finally had to resort to bribery...the first to go got 5 points extra credit. That got them going.

and when they stalled, I told them if they'd all do it, I would too!

and I did ;o)

We also talked another one of the teachers, Bro. Goltiao, into giving it a try.

2nd hour I teach Geometry. They are older and slightly more responsible than the 9th graders, so I decided to have them make caramel apples. I was so busy trying to keep the caramel smooth enough to dip the apples in, I didn't get any pictures of the making. But Rachel was kind enough to pose with her apple to show the end product. It was a lot of fun and I think I'll try doing some on my own at home with all the left-over toppings!

Chapel time

We have the privilege of having a chapel service once a week where the kids have an opportunity to sing, play games and listen to a message geared for their ages.
Just some odd shots during chapel that I thought I'd share.
Ari has started helping Mrs. Denise Minge with the music this year. It's so fun to listen to them play! It really gets the kids into the spirit of chapel time!

A match made in heaven

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and more often than not, I believe that is the case. I am watching our friends' little boy today, while they are up helping with the concession fundraiser at Husky stadium (see post a few days ago). Addie is about 2 months older than him and they have been great buddies since they were just bitty babies.

Today, they are enjoying ice cream and each other as much as ever! Well, most of the time... They get into more trouble together than I think they ever do individually. This morning, for instance, I found them both fully clothed, up to their waste in VERY warm water, in the bath tub. I guess they are used to taking baths together and thought it was as good a time as ever, so they drew themselves one. Great minds obviously think alike! He's a cutie and we love his folks. I'm beginning to think there is something to the whole arranged marriage thing...

The Cutest Show on Earth

On our way out of the fair, we stopped to check out the "Cutest Show on Earth" and ended up with all three of our kids participating in it. What fun! Raymond really got into his part as a farmer and Zachary enjoyed the "jump time" when the music played and he was able to squirm around to his little heart's content.
The costumes were cute and the lady did a great job keeping us all entertained. It lasts about 30 minutes, I guess and the kids had a wonderful time.
Addison was especially cute (of course!) in her little lamb's costume and was hysterical when asked what a lamb "said". Wish I'd had a video camera. If you are at the fair, check this interactive show out. It's right inside of Sillyville. Also on the internet at www.cutestshow.com

Doing the Puyallup

For the first time in a long time, we were able to go the The Fair on opening day. I love the Fall and everything about this time of year, but I especially love the fair. When I lived elsewhere, it is one of the things I missed the most.

Now, I get to go and enjoy it with my kids and see some things through their eyes and I love it EVEN more!
This is our baby girl and her daddy... she's become quite the daddy's girls (no complaints from anyone!)

We got there around 1pm, so nobody had napped yet. It didn't take Zach long to nod off. You wouldn't believe the number of people that stopped us to see if we'd realized he was asleep and tell us how cute he was... as if we didn't already know!

Addison loves her ice cream (just like her momma!) and there is nothing that compares to fresh Wilcox chocolate soft serve on a hot day at the fair

We stayed until it got dark and went on a few more rides before heading home. We'll go back when school has fair day and we can buy bracelets and really do the rides! Ray is especially excited about that! It was a lovely way to spend a warm (actually rather hot) fall day with my family.

Crime Scene 101

Our focus at school this year is literacy across disciplines, in the hopes of helping our students with comprehension from math to science and of course literature. For the first time, I am teaching a 7-8 literature class and have the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with our 1st grade teacher and have our studnets work together once a week.

As a kick off, we decided to stage a crime scene. We wanted to have the older kids help the younger one's take notes, collect evidence, use some deductive reasoning and have a little fun as they got to know each other. What a hit! The kids, older and younger loved it!

Many of them have approached both Mrs. Miller and myself ourside of class with their "theories" of who-dun-it.

I'm really excited about the potential we have to teach these kids in a fun and engaging way. Mrs. Miller, who has been teaching over 20 years, has endless ideas about joint projects that we can do.

What a great start to a great year!

Husky Concession Fund-raiser

Kevin worked hard last year to get a football program started at our school. They play 8 man flag football and even at this level, it's expensive to get what you need. After making many, many calls, he finally got our school into a concession booth at Husky Stadium. Of course, I couldn't be happier... my Alma Mater!

Lots of people are showing their support by donating time (and LOTS of energy) to help run the booth. Our first outing (same as the Huskies) was the LSU game last night. It was an evening game and the house was PACKED! We stayed busy from the minute we opened our window until we closed down for the night.

It was quite a learning experience and we didn't get much help in figuring out what exactly we should be doing... but we made over $1,000 for our sports programs! After our first outing, we learned a few things...

1. Close before the game ends (we got home at 2am!)

2. Let everyone know EXACTLY how to get to where the shuttle is parked (a few of us walked aimlessly around in the rain looking)

3. Don't eat before coming (WAY too many hot dogs consumed!)

Thanks Kevin for taking such an interest in our school!