Groovy Educator

In case you didn't know I have been on a leave of absence since late November.  When I left, I knew I would be out through the end of the year and possibly the next year. My amazing grade level teachers helped me pack up my "teaching life" in a day or two and I've kept my distance mostly due to the emotion of it all and to let the children bond with their new teacher. I had promised when I left that I would come back and see them so that last week of school, I stopped by and saw my "babies" again and my heart swelled.  It was a nice visit and made my heart hurt when I left.  I loved these kiddos! The sweet teacher who took my place asked me to come the following week to pick up the rest of my belongings.  I thought it would fill the trunk. Boy was I wrong!  Two days and three more carloads later, I had most of my "stuff." Today, I had some alone time in my "home away from home" and it was almost too  much to bear. I resigned i...

Last week I resigned from teaching.  I love the profession but decided to pursue a dream.  With my Dad's passing I realize how precious and short life is... Ever since I was in elementary school I wanted my own business.  Back then I dreamed of Andie's Place.  I even drew layouts in a notebook.  My earliest memory was wanting to own my own dress store when I was in first or second grade. Flash forward thirty years and I opened Lowery's Loft LLC (an online business selling on eBay).  Being a small business owner is a lot like being a teacher in several ways. You have to be super organized. You have to manage materials. You are always learning. Everything consistently evolves. There is a lot of documentation. Kindness counts There are many more items that I could add to the list.  With that said...Change is never easy.  There are things I am giving up to pursue this dream. I will miss my students and my coworkers .  Noth...

It's been awhile since I posted.  This post is especially personal.  Blogger world out there I need advice. I am faced with a tremendously difficult decision: whether or not to return to teaching.  Now for some this is a relatively easy decision but I am very torn for several reasons.  Last year I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia which is not life threatening but makes life very unpredictable.  One day I am fine (tired and a little achy=fine) and the next I am itching all over and hurt so bad I can barely walk.  If I manage my stress well then I stay in a tired and achy state which is livable but my stamina is not what it once was.  I am only in my mid-thirties so this is rather disheartening.   I have a toddler, a husband, and too many pets and I need to have enough of me to make it around to the end of the day. Even though I gripe about the politics, when it comes to the end of the day I LOVE teaching but I don't know if I can do it a...

I am running my sale through March 1st 20% off.  If you take advantage of this sale on the above dates you can get 28% off.  My best seller is the Addition and Subtraction Mad Minute.  This would be a great time to buy ahead my end of the year class yearbook.  It is my favorite product! I'm sorry I haven't been blogging as much.  Long story...will update soon...

It has taken me longer to write this post for some reason.  I have been under the weather with bronchitis and a double ear infection.  That may have something to do with the delay. (grin) There are many ways in which silverware or dining utensils can be used to teach children.   Before getting started, it is important to discuss safety with your child.  Knives are sharp tools.  For these lessons I recommend using butter knives, not steak knives.  I would also bring up how to safely hold the utensils when walking.  If they are vertical and pointing up, what would happen if your child tripped?  What would happen if the utensils were horizontal with the floor?  Discuss this with your child.  Model and demonstrate what would happen if you fell on a pointy object versus a flat object.  Now this may seem obvious to you but one thing I have learned in education is ASSUME NOTHING.  Never assume a child knows how to do something....

Socks?  Teaching with socks ? Yes!  Socks can be a valuable teaching tool.  Here are some ways you can use socks to teach your child(ren) at home or in your classroom. Math Estimation -Fill a sock with several objects. Have your child look at the the sock and estimate how many items are in the sock without feeling it.  Spend time discussing what you observe about the sock.  Is it full?  Is it bumpy?  Does it lay flat?  Ask how these observations affect your child's estimate.  Dump out the objects from the sock and decide whether or not your child wants to change his/her estimate based on the new visual knowledge.   Check by counting the objects. Grouping -When counting the objects group them into 2s, 5s, or 10s.  Discuss why?  Come up with some reasons together as to why this might be helpful.  You can repeat these activities with items in the other sock. Skip Counting -Empty out the sock drawer and count t...

The cereal box is a powerful tool for teaching in so many ways.  Here are some ideas: Shapes Explain the difference between a rectangle and a rectangular prisim Circle all the shapes you can find on the box and write a list to record what you found. On a different day repeat the previous activity but then transfer the information into a Venn Diagram (two circles that intersect/overlap).  Write the shapes that were on both boxes in the area where the circles overlap.  That shows what was the same on both boxes.  Write what was different in the other areas.  (I will have to upload a photograph on this in the future.) Discuss how rectangular prisms can stack and slide but not roll.  Test it out.   Compare the size of the rectangles on the sides of the box to the front of the box. Trace the box to make a large rectangle and then draw a picture using shapes you found on the box. Math There are endless adding and subtracting activities th...

"Can" you believe I am about to write a post about teaching across the curriculum using canned food? This post is the first in a series of posts about how to turn cheap, everyday objects a into powerful teaching tools.  For over a decade I have been an elementary school teacher.  This series will primarily relate to families and teachers who teach toddlers all the way up to second graders. My daughter is not even two years old but she and I play games with these objects and she doesn't even know she is learning.  It's FUN!  That is how I feel learning should be most of the time.  Sometimes you just have to buckle down and study but most of the time kids learn more through real world experiences that are connected to a strong emotion. Speaking of powerful emotions...BAM! BAM! BAM!  I "accidentally" knock over a few cans as I am unpacking the last bag of groceries.  My daughter is startled and says "uh oh."  AHA-This is a teachable moment...I...

I am exploring ways to relax and one of my former hobbies was crafting.  Now that I am on leave, I have time to do this again.  For some reason I have become extremely interested in vintage costume jewelry and have purchased some pieces.   This week I have combined both hobbies by creating these handmade ornaments.  I have a couple listed on eBay but there is no need to purchase one when you can make your own! For these particular ornaments I purchased clear glass ones with a subtle design on the outside at Big Lots.  I then went through my broken jewelry looking for chains, loose beads, earrings without a match and Voila!  This is the result.      For student gifts you can always purchase clear plastic ornaments and junk jewelry at yard sales, thrift shops, eBay, or even ask for donations .  I used a hoop earring for the hook, just think of the possibilities...decorative ribbons, yarn, braided thread.  You cou...

Find Boggle on Amazon Okay, as you may know already, I am on a leave of absence from teaching first grade due to my fibromyalgia flaring up.  So naturally, I am thinking about school and ideas are swirling.  One night I looked over at the Boggle game sitting on my dresser and a gazillion center / learning station ideas popped in my head. Here are a few: Alphabetizing Ideas Four Corners Each person gets a letter from the corner and the team has to put them in ABC (alphabetical order). Four Lines Each person alphabetizes a line Super Challenge Alphabetize all the letters Word Work Lucky Letter Whichever letter is in the top left corner is the lucky letter. Kids can make a list of words that start with that letter, end with that letter, or have that letter. Rhyme time Find a words in the mixed up letters and then write a rhyming word to go with it. Challenge Rhyme time Same as above but then write the rhyming words in a sentence and illustrate it. ...

It's after midnight and I'm up, again... I'm missing my kiddos and co-workers.  I've been on leave for a couple of weeks due to my Fibromyalgia flaring up.  Stress does that.  I can't say that I'm relaxed but I am not breaking out in hives everyday.  BIG Improvement! It breaks my heart every time I let my mind wander over to teaching.  I miss the children.  This year I had such a wonderful, dream class.  They were so sweet and eager to learn.  I am confident that the teacher that took my place is proficient and kind hearted but I still miss them.  It is amazing how attached you can get in nine weeks. I'm not sure what the future will bring.  I try to think ahead and feel blue so right now I am living in the moment.  Learning how to cherish the subtle small things in life we take for granted in the daily grind. My uncle is gravely ill and does not have long to live.  I am choosing to focus on the moments with him now. ...

I'm sorry that I have not been posting as much as in the past!  I am trying to start up Lowery's Loft in addition to my GroovyEducator endeavors. Lowery's Loft is a place where you can find items "Vintage to New and Affordable Too!" Right now I am trying different categories of items like costume jewelry, purses/handbags, toys, games, collectibles, etc.  Later I plan to include some school items like treasure box lots, books, and teacher friendly items. I have never been a jewelry person but it is turning into a passion.  I LOVE learning about the history of some of the vintage items.  I marvel at pins that are sixty years old and appear new!  I image where each item may have traveled and even its origin and the artist's "vision" or inspiration. Quality costume jewelry is perfect for elementary school teachers.  It looks nice and its affordable.  If it breaks or is lost, it will not break the bank.  Working with young children and constan...

 Here is where I save some of my chart teacher toolbox and teaching supply KThis is how our desks were arranged for the first week of school Here are some pictures of how my room is decorated and organized.  I haven't been posting as much because I have been doing eBay in addition to all the beginning of the year activities. I've organized my classroom library into numbered bins.  Bin 5 has books with the number5 on all of them.  Each bin has a theme (e.g.  Bin 17 has nonfiction animal books).  Also I have my AR board on the wall.  In the crates are centers/learning stations.  Under the rug the rug is a cord for the SmartBoard.  I have taped the rug down with some of the decorative duct tape that you can find at Walmart.  In the green bins there are stuffed animals to be used as reading buddies.  Although it's kind of hard to see, there is a green grasshopper board with our science word wall. This is where our whole br...

Ladybug's Teacher File s has created a very informative video on how to design printables using Powerpoint. I highly recommend visiting her blog.  She is clearly an amazing teacher with fabulous tips! Click here to see how My Cute Graphics explains how to add a background to your Powerpoint. Thanks to all who are posting "how to" information.  It really helps!

Curriculum to the Core shared an amazing link in the TpT forum.  I had to share it here:   25 Clever Classroom Tips for Elementary School Teachers . I especially loved the tutorial on how to print on post it notes as well as the Remind101 app to text reminders to students/parents!  I tried out the Remind101 app and it's wonderful!   Thank you Curriculum to the Core!!!

Last night I couldn't get enough of youtube.com .  I am always interested in learning about best practices.  Several people in my district are excited about whole brain teaching so I watched some videos on youtube and I was transfixed.  I plan on watching more whole brain teaching videos on wholebrainteaching.com . I love all the movement and that the kids are engaged. I also watched random first grade videos and teaching calendar with the smart board.  There is just so much to view.  The best part is that these teachers are inspiring and provide new techniques to try.  Youtube is like pinterest.com because it draws you in for hours and hours! Here are a few of my favorite videos: Whole Brain Teaching - First Grade Math Lesson Whole Brain Basics - Power Teaching Morning Meeting Using the Smart Board First Grade Student Engagement - Whole Brain Standards Based Grading IPad as an Interactive White Board Demonstration On a side note, I sell on...

I have mixed feelings about writing this post.  Part of me wants to hide behind "everything is fine." Teaching is not an easy job but it is an extremely rewarding job.  I love teaching but last year was a rough year.  I've had some health issues.  The best thing that happened to me was becoming a mommy. It was rough returning to work leaving my beautiful baby to teach other sweet babies.  It has changed my perspective dramatically.  I knew i would be more tired this year.  With the new baby, there was less sleep and more activity.  I was especially drained because I had shooting pains in my abdomen.  My doctor said it was an umbilical hernia from the pregnancy and to wait a few months.  The pain will lessen. It did not and it was so excruciating, I had to go to the ER after school one day.  Tests were taken and I needed to have surgery.  With this surgery, I could not lift my daughter for a whole month.  I missed a...

I went to a workshop last week where I learned more about using apps in the classroom.  The presenters have a website  http://classwithapps.com/ .  It has useful resources. I really liked the app Haiku Deck for creating presentations.  It would be great for back to school night.  You can take pictures of the classroom and the kids, write cute captions and display it for the families.  This app is also great for the kids to use to create a presentation or report.  I was thinking that it would be perfect for science experiments. They also went over using QR codes in the classroom.  There are many ways that they can be used but I like the idea of using it as a "what to do when you finish your work" activity.  I would like to make 4-5 QR code sheets, one for each reading group.  I wand to make QR codes for apps that would benefit the kids in each group.  It would allow me to differentiate to meet the children's needs.  I could ...

This is a fun activity where the kids try to make as many words as they can using the letters from Summer Vacation. You can choose to display this sheet on the board with the document camera and the kids record their answers on notebook paper or you can copy this sheet for each child.  There are variations on how you can assign it. It can be a partner activity, a timed activity, or fill the entire sheet in activity. I prefer to do a timed activity where the kids see how many words they can come up with in five minutes. After that, they can partner up and fill in the rest of the words.  You can download this activity for free at my TpT store.

The last day of school is fast approaching.  Our class party is the day before the last day.  This year we are going to do a parent picnic where the kids can have lunch with their families.  We will picnic on blankets.  After that we will have relay races and then go back to the room to cool down and have a sweet treat.  Depending on the day we will either go back outside or watch a video.  Bring on the fun!