THANK YOU!

Our canceled and rescheduled Winter Party was this past week.  Many many thanks to Erica W. for organizing such delicious, creative, and exciting activities.  There was cookie frosting and decorating, penguin/polar bear creative writing, and a game of pictionary!  Also many thanks to the parent volunteers who assisted and led the activities!!  In addition, there was a bit of word finding going on at the cookie center.  

I also want to THANK the entire class and families for your thoughtfulness!  The booklet of letters describing the service projects and giving that families in our class participated in was inspirational!  I was so very proud to share the stories of kindness with the kids the following morning!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart ... 

Also THANK YOU for the gift card to Starbucks, I do enjoy coffee! (I try not to spill coffee on any pieces of children's work)  

And, THANK YOU for the very  generous gift card to The Learning Shop!  The kids and I have already been plotting on what games to buy for entertainment in our room.  I think they may be planning a 'field trip' to the store. Yikes! Your thoughtfulness is so appreciated and will make it especially enjoyable to browse and choose games/activities for all to have fun, learn and grow.  Word games, creative thinking, math activities, maybe a class jigsaw puzzle...  

A couple pics from the Winter Party.  

Eating and having fun!

Having fun and showing a missing tooth spot!

Thinking Creatively!

Smiles

What should I write about?

What is Darren drawing, we are guessing!

Nature Center Fun

Last week we visited Mr. Wolf at the Elmbrook Nature Center (behind BEHS).  There Mr. Wolf talked with us about seeds and how they move about - wind, water and/or animals.  Although it was a cold morning, the sun was out, the students were dressed warmly and spirits were high!  They explored the Center in small groups - THANKS to a handful of Dads and Mr. Wolf.  I followed along with a couple groups taking pictures! 

While exploring the 2nd graders kept a keen eye for seeds and were able to place some in a bag for a poster project back at the Building.  Once back inside, they worked in their groups and placed their collected seeds into the appropriate category of seed dispersal.  These posters are hanging in the 'library hallway'.  

OH!  I nearly forgot... Mr. Wolf brought out a SNAKE for the kids to hold and cuddle. YIKES!  Most took a turn!  Some a pictured below.

We are fortunate to have such a beautiful spot for the kids to explore and enjoy. Following are pictures of your children!  Smile!   

Mystery Reader

Again! Yikes!  My third post this evening!  I guess that's how I am currently working!  I do hope you read the TWO concurrent  posts!  Pictures are included in each.

I'd like to talk about our MYSTERY READER program!  It is fabulous!   We have had three mystery readers  at this point, with more signed up and assigned a date!  We LOVE LOVE to have family and friends come and READ a favorite book to us!  We also enjoy guessing who it might be.  The clues our Mystery Reader provides are great fun!

PLEASE join us as a MYSTERY READER.  It's so easy and sooo very fun and the students LOVE it.    Here's how it works:

You find a favorite children's book or poem, pick a date and time and KEEP IT A SECRET!  It is so fun for the kids to guess who you are from the clues you provide.  Then you read your book or poem to us.  The time commitment is about 15 minutes.  I will accommodate your schedule to the best of my ability.

You don't have to be a great reader, we just love to be read to.  If you can't think of a book, I can help with that.

You provide three - five clues about yourself that are NOT obvious to your student.  For example list things that you love to do, love to eat ... list things of interest from your past or current life... a clue about yourself as a student...  be creative, but true!  BUT NOT OBVIOUS TO YOUR STUDENT.

This activity is so much fun!  Feel free to let your whole family in on it.  JUST let me know via email or a sealed note sent with your child.  I will then confirm a time and date with you.  I would love to have about two Mystery Readers a month.  But, if need be I will do more because it is sooo special for the young readers and sooo important for all to realize that reading is everywhere and all the time!

REMEMBER:  KEEP IT A SECRET!   DO NOT TELL YOUR CHILD!  A surprise for all is so much more fun!

email me at schneidj@elmbrookschools.org

The following pictures are from our most recent MYSTERY READER.  I am so sad that I do not have pictures from our first two readers ... so if you want to do it again... :)

Enjoying the story!

Listening so intently! 

Interesting Websites for Families to Explore

A couple thoughts on websites to investigate as a family...

But first...  Become a FOLLOWER of our 2nd grade blog... look at left side of this blog and choose 'join this site or follow by email'.  When you do this, as I post you are automatically alerted!

1. Visit Wonderopolis.   Wonderopolis
According to it's website ... it's a place where wonder and learning are nurtured through the power of discovery, creativity, and imagination.  Wonderopolis is brought to life by the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) and supported by philanthropic partners.  You can also get this as an APP.

2.  Storynory:  Storynory
Absolutely FREE Audio stories for kids.  So many to listen too!  I believe this is an APP as well.

3. Spelling City:  Vocabulary Spelling City
 You can also get this as an APP for your iPad or iPhone!  Most of it is FREE and a great way to practice words and learn new vocabulary!

So, check them out!  The links are also listed on LEFT under LEARNING LINKS. PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you think.  Just respond in this blog or send me an email.

THANKS

Giving each other the Personal Word Test... besides posing for pic!

Spelling and Smiling! 

Yep, the P-word test!  Partners testing each other.

Pumpkin Math and ... FUN

Hello! 

What a wonderfully long and fun weekend; filled with family fun, long walks, back yard fire-pits, a bit of trick-or-treat, and a little eating out with friends! In addition, our yard is cleaned up (for the most part) and first floor windows are washed (we can see through them again!)  Now, it's Sunday night and I am prepping for learning, reading, and writing with your Second Graders... and looking forward to it!

Last week - Thursday morning - we were involved with weighing and measuring pumpkins!  The little investigators also got their hands inside and dug out the pumpkin guts (gunk!), then separated the seeds from the gunk .. er, I mean guts.  They estimated the amount and then counted! I do believe that a grand time was had by all involved!  Some were hesitant, but then enjoyed getting their hands inside the pumpkin guts.  Tomorrow we will compare and contrast our findings!  

THANK YOU THANK YOU to our family volunteers who helped with this.  Below are pictures of each of the pumpkin investigating groups and their guide!

2nd grade class DAILY folder

Hello Families,

Already... another post!  This one will focus on use of our class DAILY folder.  The folder is blue and goes home every afternoon and comes back every morning; thanks for helping with this.  The folder includes our HOMEWORK page for the week, the entire first quarter of our year is kept inside the prongs, so you will have to turn pages to find current week. I thought it would be helpful to keep 9 weeks or so together in one place.  Please review the homework page with your child each night and initial the day and/or write me a note.  This lets me know that you are aware of what your young learner accomplished that evening!  Thank you!

Also please please look inside the pockets.  

• The pocket on the left  (Return to School) is for additional student work that should be completed and returned the next day, unless otherwise noted.  This pocket may also contain information for you to read and respond to. 
• The pocket on the right (Leave at Home) is for you to review with your child and then it may stay at home.  Hanging on your refrigerator is always a fun idea! Please empty this each night.  Share this work with all interested important people to your child!  There is only one copy.  

Sometimes the papers may get mixed up and I bet you will be able to recognize that, please help your child sort it out.  

The clear page protector is for you to place any notes that I need to have for my information or for the office.  

I hope this makes sense, but please let me know how I can clarify and be helpful!  You can respond in this blog, call me or email me with your comments or questions.  

More pictures ... I hope I don't repeat.   Did you like the song!  What I Am!

Hanging around with friends!

Our unofficial theme song

Greetings!

The first post of the year is a link.  The following link takes you to Youtube and a song sung by Will.i.am along with the help of a few Sesame Street Muppets.  The song is titled What I Am.  We love it.  We love the music and the beat, but most of all we love the lyrics.  Please listen... and I bet you'll listen again.

Here is the link   What I Am

ENJOY!

Oh... and a couple pics!