Spring is in the air ~

 
Happy Friday and long weekend!  Today I'm linking up with  Andrea,  Erika and Narci for:

Love the Color of the Year!

If you love purple or periwinkle, you're in luck because ultra violet is Pantone's Color of the Year!

Love All Books About Spring

I love books about hope and new beginnings!  Click on the picture to check out these refreshing books on Pinterest:

Love Looking Forward to Reading Books With a Summer Theme

OK ~ I have a thing for books written by English authors that take place in the English countryside!  Plus I LOVE the cover!

LOVE these students' hand adjectives!

I know ~ stamina is not an adjective, but it's a great word for a third grader to use!

Check out Adriana's writing about her "Amazing Adjectives:"

Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

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Wrapping Up March With Some Friday Favorites & A Giveaway!

Happy Spring! (if it's spring where you live anyway!).  Today I'm delighted to link up with Andrea,  Erika and Narci for:

The Rent Collector = A Must Read For Those That Love to Read!

This book takes place in the biggest dump in Cambodia where life is "trashy" and difficult.  One day a fellow trash picker finds a book, and it ends up in Sang Ly's hands.  Sang Ly is an illiterate wife and mother to a sickly baby.  Once Sang Ly realizes the rent collector can teach her to read, she asks for reading lessons.  I've just started reading the book, but it is so uplifting and inspiring!

Click on the book to read more at Amazon!

Ommmm ~ Yoga For Kids!


A local yoga instructor donated her time to introduce all the students at my school to the benefits of yoga.  We all stretched, posed and meditated:

Book Fair Night With Clifford the Dog!

Last week we had our Scholastic Book Fair.  One night parents got to attend with their kiddos.  A group of teachers came in to guest read with the most special guest:  Clifford!  This is my colleague, Mrs. Mahoney, reading a book:

Morning Messages and Suffixes

Last week's messages focused on suffixes and when to double the final consonant of a word.  The concept of "double" is often difficult for students so I try to review that as much as possible:

Great Giveaway!

Congratulations to the lucky winner ~ Cara Robinson!

I've joined up with a great group of teachers as part of this great giveaway:

If you win, please let me know!

Have a wonderful week!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Welcome to another Wednesday Hodgepodge!

Happy Hump Day!  We're on our third nor'easter this month ~ UGH!  Not only that, there's another one on the horizon for next week as well!  That's why I'm especially happy to link-up with Joyce From This Side of the Pond for:

 

1. Best place you've been lately?

I really loved visiting New York City:  visiting Times Square, going to a Broadway show,  walking on the High Line...!  There are endless activities to do in the Big Apple.  I even knew right away where I had seen this restaurant:

 Of course, my husband insisted that there was NO WAY that I could be right ~ that was until he looked it up.  Ha!  Sometimes I can be right after all!  You can read more about my trip here

 
2. What's something you should say yes to today? Or this week? Or even this year?

I need to declutter and organize and put away "my stuff" ASAP every day and week so I'm not left with a HUGE job after a year.  Of course, yesterday I reorganized and decluttered my linen closet.  I'm embarrassed to say this, but I don't think I've done this job since we moved into this house 20 years ago.  I just keep piling "stuff" in.  Yesterday I threw out three big trash bags of clutter and emptied countless cleaning containers with just a tad left in them.  What an accomplishment!

3. Do you celebrate St. Patrick's Day in any way, shape, or form? If so tell us how. In Western cultures the color green is typically associated with jealousy, nature, good luck, and growth. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word 'green'?

I do like to wear green the week before St. Patrick's Day.  The weekend after St. Patrick's Day I enjoy going to an Irish restaurant for dinner.  I really LOVE Irish soda bread!

When I think of green, I think of spring and new leaves!

4. What's a product or service you love so much you'd happily be their spokesperson? Tell us what makes you such a fan.

There's a local charity called PAWS of Wakefield that fosters and tends to homeless animals. In addition, they raise money to pay for veterinarian services and to buy pet food for its animals.   I actually got my dog from PAWS.  Consequently, I am a HUGE fan of this organization!

5. March 14th is Pi Day. How are your math skills? What's the last thing you did that required math of any kind? And most importantly do you like pie? What's your favorite kind? With ice cream, whipped cream, or please hold the cream?

Well, I do LOVE math.  I teach third grade so I get to teach about math every day!  My favorite subjects in math are geometry and algebra.

Of course, I LOVE pie!  I'll take some warmed up apple pie with coffee ice cream any day!

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

I cannot believe how much snow we are getting in eastern Massachusetts this month!  We've had six snow days!  In Wakefield (where I live; not where I teach), the kids can access their work on snow days so they don't have to make up any snow days.  What do you think of this idea?  I'd love to hear what you think!

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Fabulous Friday Favorites To Check Out!

Happy Wonderful Weekend!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci for:

Beautiful Cardinal!

Check out this most beautiful cardinal that was chirping loudly and clearly in my front yard this morning:

We just had two nor'easters in one week, but the sky is getting bluer every day as we move toward spring!

World Down Syndrome Day Post

On the collaborative blog, Conversations From The Classroom, I posted a new blog post about #lotsofsocksday and why March 21st is an important date.  Click here or on the picture to read all about it:

The WDSD recommend wearing, “not just any socks, brightly colored socks, mismatched socks, long socks, printed socks, one sock. Maybe even three socks, one for each chromosome.”

Another Hand Adjective Example

I want to show off my student's ~ Cole's ~ hand adjective paragraph:

Click here to download this Hand Adjective project for free!

More Style Challenge Outfits

Last week I did three of the outfit challenges ~ from left to right ~ black dress (I substituted a black plaid skirt); dress like a rock star; and an oldie but a goody:

Here is the Style Challenge if you'd like to join in:

Biggest Compliment of the Week!

Super thanks to Carrie of the Stylish Fit blog for including these kind words about my blog in a recent blog post:

Well, that's a quick recap of my week.  Thank you for following along and visiting today! 

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Currently ~ Marvelous March!

Happy Marvelous March!  Today I'm linking up with Anne In Residence 

and Foxy's Domestic Side for: 

 Planning

I've been planning activities for World Down Syndrome Day which is on March 21st.  This year's theme colors are blue and yellow.  In addition, on this day, you're supposed to wear mismatched socks as a way to acknowledge this special day.

Last year, my students and I wore mismatched socks and drew a pair, too:

Get more details about World Down Syndrome Day here!

Seeing ~ Spring Books!

Spring is in the bookstore, and it makes me so happy!  

I just LOVE having new books to check out ~ especially when it signifies spring ~ a season full of hope and improving weather!

Making

I made a new "Lots of Socks" activity and posted it on TPT.  Click here to check it out for free!

 Pretending = Daydreaming

I am a HUGE daydreamer!  These days I'm daydreaming that I'm sitting by a pool in warm weather, and that my legs are tanned!  Of course, it does help that my husband and I are going to Delray Beach, Florida in April!

Wearing

This is my favorite part of the post!  I just signed up for a Style and Styleability course which includes a March Style Challenge:

I love having a goal when I'm selecting my clothes for the next day.  Do you pick out your clothes the night before?  This is my routine to prevent having to think too much in the morning while I'm on auto-pilot!

As always, thank you so much for visiting today!  I appreciate you taking time to read my blog!  Have a wonderful rest of the week!

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Fashionable Adjectives ~ Finding Beauty in Everyone!

Happy Fabulous Weekend!  Today I'm trying out a brand new link-up hosted by Anna Nuttall:

Style and Styleability

I love many of the clothes in my closet.  You know ~ the clothes you just LOVE and wear A LOT!  Then I have clothes that are on the outskirts ~ I'll wear them, but they don't give me that "I'm in love with my outfit" feeling.  One of my goals is to be more adventurous and stylish with my clothes.  Enter:  Style and Styleability.  

Click on the picture on the above link to watch the video series. I signed up for the course which costs $297 (just an FYI).  The course includes five sections.  I'm still in section one.  

Style Challenges

I do enjoy Style Challenges.  They encourage me to put together different combinations of clothes.  Here's the March Challenge:

Here are my outfits for Days one and two:

Please notice my students' beautiful Lorax displays in the background!  I love how each one is different!



Hand Adjective Project

In this project, students need to think of five adjectives to describe themselves along with two reasons to support their adjective choices.  I always strongly suggest that the girls use beautiful and the boys use handsome for one of their adjectives.  It's amazing how many of the students disagree and claim that they're "ugly" or not good enough. 

After writing, each students traces his/her hand and writes an adjective inside each finger:

 
Click here to download this activity for free!


In closing

I'm sharing this powerful quote from the above-mentioned Style Challenge that makes the adjective project even more meaningful.

I really appreciate you visiting and reading my blog today.  Thank you!  

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

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