Surprise! Pumpkin Pancakes on Halloween!

Every year my husband and I have a surprise pumpkin pancake Halloween breakfast for my first graders.  I am not sure how much longer we can keep the surprise up. . .it's becoming quite popular and one of these days the second graders in my school are going to let the black cat out of the bag and tell one of my first graders about the surprise!

Here is the pumpkin pancake flipper. 

And the pancakes:  You will notice that the pumpkin pancake flipper is still wearing shorts, even though it is the end of October in Maine. 

And a healthy fruit snack sent in by one of the grandparents of my students:

There were four stations: a reading Halloween books station, a puzzle station, an eating pancakes station, and a craft station.  Here are pictures from each station.

These first graders are reading Halloween books:

Here are some pictures of the puzzle makers:

The pumpkin pancake eaters:

And first graders making Halloween crafts:

Everyone had a wonderful time.  Thank you to all parents for keeping this a secret, and a special thank you to the grandparent who sent in the goodies and also volunteered at the craft station!

At The Lake!

Usually I don't post anything personal on my blog but, after four years of blogging,  I am going to make an exception.  My husband and I purchased a four season home on a lake here in Maine last month.  It is a fairly new log home and garage on three acres on a very clean medium-sized lake. Because I teach first grade, I have about nine weeks in the summer to myself.  Since my husband only needs internet for his job, we can maximize the time we spend at the lake house, which is only one hour from our home.

One of the benefits of the lake house (besides all of the rest and relaxation and extra time with my children that I am enjoying) is time to think about what I might try in school to increase the learning of my students.  It's amazing how all the fresh air, long walks, hearty breakfasts, and relaxation contributes to the time I spend thinking.

So, here is a picture of our view.

More Pictures From The Beginning of School. . .

Writer's Workshop In Full Swing

One of my favorite times of the day is the block after lunch reserved for writing.  There is a hum in the room. . .I hear pencils scratching, children discussing their writing with their writing partners, and others sounding out words syllable-by-syllable, and papers shuffling.  I see some writers thinking deeply about what craft move to try next in their writing or what changes they need to make in their writing to clarify their message.  I feel the pride the children have in themselves as they notice the improvements in their writing.

Earlier this week my students compared their baseline small moment stories (the ones they wrote the first day of school) with the stories they are writing today.  They were so proud of themselves as they each pointed out areas of improvement.  Here are some photos of my first graders working hard.  They didn't even know I was taking their pictures.