{ trouble }

According to policies in my school I can not post pictures of my kiddo's work because it belongs to them and their parents. So, until the policy changes (hopefully after Christmas) I have to shut down :( 

Please keep popping by and hopefully I will be back soon! :) 

{ Lest we forget }

 I have to admit that I love teaching my year ones about Rememberance day. I am a great avocate of our armed forces and having been brought up in that environment I am so thankful for all that they put on the line to allow us to keep on living the way we do.

 We created these little poppies and made them into a wreath to present in assembly today. We had the BBC on the interactive whiteboard all day and watched the Rememberance day parade. It was great to introduce my kiddos to a very special day and teach them to think about the past and thank people who have helped us. 
I will try and get a picture of the display the kids made when all the poppies had been presented. :)

What  did you do for the 11th?

{ Word Work }

We have been looking at nouns this week to add to our knowledge on parts of speech. We are reading 'Where the wild things are' by Maurice Sendak, the kids love this book as do I! We started the week by going on a noun hunt around the school, this was great fun and everyone had fun pointing out nouns all over the place.

 

When we came back we looked at some of the nouns that we had documented on our whiteboards (I LOVE WHITEBOARDS!). 

We created Amy Lemon's 'Where the wild things are' activity and the children wrote the story as best they could. 

We posted these lovely pieces of writing up in the hall for everyone to see and have now moved them back to class so they are ready for parents evening in a few days.

On to verbs next week! Tally Hoe!!

{ Craftiness }

Little star clips

Completly off topic from teaching. I have been craving crafts recently..really badly. Obviously Pinterest is the place to go to find great inspiration and I got in the mood to create bows, clips and even a little hair band.

Bow clip (modeled by my kitten :))

Hairband with a felt flower

 So after I had babbled in hair accessories and trying to crochet but failing miserably I started baking. Now I love baking but the oven that Mr W and I have in our rented place is rubbish so I had completly given up for the last year. Then I created a recipe for a autumn cinamon apple bake and lone behold my wee oven coped! :)

 

Yummy!! Comment for recipe :)
What crafts have you got on the go at the moment?

{ Paris }

So I have been on my half term break and took a little vaccation with the lovely Mr W and headed to Paris! It was my first time in France and to say I was excited would have been a little bit of an understatement ha. 

I hold an art club on Tuesday after school for year 1 and 2 kiddos and the last thing we made was these really cute Eiffle Tower paintings...just to keep the excitement going! We only have half an hour for this club so we did well but ours didn't turn out as cute as Cassie's.

Now that i've been to gay Paris, I think I would change this next time I do them and add some lights along the actual structure. Could also possibly do them on black card and create the tower in a golden colour..just to be a little more realistic :)

Hope you have had a lovely rest and are ready to see lots of smiley faces tomorrow morning!

{ break }

I'm so sorry I've been MIA. I wanted to focus on my class and concentrate on bringing their behaviour back to my expectations. I am glad to say we are getting there :-). 

The last few weeks have been a bit crazy because we have had more open days, trying to get the school, classrooms and children prepared for strangers walking about and looking into all the nooks and crannies. That also went well! 

It is half term for two weeks now, so I will be back after that to share what we have been getting up to. :-) have a great break everyone! 

{ The rainy days }

So life in year one can offer lots of rainbows and happy days, moments and events. There can also be rainy days where everything just piles ontop of you, hence my blog name. 

I think it is so important to talk about those rainy days as well as the lovely sunshiny rainbow days because you learn and you grow from those days. 

This week was hard. 

Really damn hard. 

As individuals my class are lovely. As a group we are working on it. When they are having a bad day it really snowballs and it just keeps getting worse and worse. 

Wednesday was my breaking point this week and it wasn't the kiddos fault. We were trying to complete our maths lesson, after lunch, with no help. It wasn't my fault either. There is a huge timetabling error. I ended up getting really annoyed at the kids and trying to get them to be quiet and just get on with it, but there wasn't enough support. I (unfortunately) cannot morph into multiple different people to help them cope and learn effectively. So we ended up back on the carpet sitting in a circle so that I could go to each child and help and move to the next person and then go around again and again. I am lucky because my (new) headteacher is very supportive and is now sorting out extra support for my class. Not for me, but for the children. Thank goodness for teaching assistants is all I can say and I have the best TA in the whole wide world! :)

Thursday was much better. I have learnt (I'm a slow learner) that I have a class, who at the moment need to be controlled in every aspect or their learning goes out the window. I have changed my approach to them and how I teach to get the best from them. Hopefully by Christmas I can loosen the reins a little and give them a little more wiggle room. At least that is the idea. 

Hope you have all had better weeks. Feel free to rant about your week in the comments. I have sympathy. :) 

 

{ A few pictures }

So we started the week by looking at 'Ourselves' topic. We drew around two kiddos to create dolls to paint and label.We forgot to add the eyes etc afterwards so we will do that quickly this week.

We created a wrinkled heart just like Michelle from Fabulous in First. We listened to the story Chrysanthemum on you tube because I am still waiting on my copy to arrive. Everytime the children heard something mean being said they crunched the heart up. When we finished we had a very wrinkled heart, as I tried to smooth out the wrinkles we chatted about how angry, mean and hurtful words make a lasting impression. Then we wrote our names on a 'plaster' and tried to fix the heart, as the kiddos placed their plaster they promised to only use kind words.

We looked at weighing. We introduced scales and the children had fun comparing objects to find which was heavier and which was lighter.

{ Circle time }

So I have mentioned before that I am a (recently converted) avocate for circle time in primary education. It makes such a difference to children's attitudes and behaviour. I have been trying as much as possible to link Religious Education (R.E) with our Personal, Health, Social Education (PHSE or circle time) because I believe that the key issues taught in R.E coinside with what we learn in circle time. 

This week in R.E we looked at welcoming people using different languages. The kiddos really loved this and enjoyed going around the circle saying hello in different languages. We have been working on this during registration time as well, I will say "Jambo Amelia" and she will try and respond using the same language. 

Excuse the horrible photo..again I am still on my ipad

We recreated this class promise but ours didn't turn out as good or as pretty. 

That stick on the bottom of the book rack is our 'talking stick'. Isn't is pretty? The kids love holding it during circle time when it is their time to talk and turning it over so the sparkly stars and sand fall down. 

  And we introduced our class post box for any wee notes that the kiddos want to write. They can write a note if they are feeling sad, angry etc but they can also write one to say they are feeling happy. I have already had one from a child that was about another child in my class telling me that he didn't mean to hurt others,it read something along the lines of "He doesn't mean to do it Miss, but other people annoy him!" :P 

We made these calm down sandwiches . We went through ways to chill out when we see red and have a cartoon moment of steam coming out the ears! They really responded to this and enjoyed cutting out their own sandwiches. 

  

What do you do in class to teach attitdues and behaviour?

{ Traditional tales }

Finally the open days at school are over. It is so difficult to teach when families walk into your class and you have to pass over to a teaching assistant to pick up exactly where you stopped. We had three days of this...and on the third day we had 19 families, 60 people in total!! Poor kiddos were a bit like fishes in a fish bowl with everyone staring at them and expecting them to be quiet and engaged in work independently. They did so well :-) 

We did get in a little bit of literacy this week which was a follow up from last week. We have been looking a traditional tales ( I know a few people from America read this, but I don't know what you call these stories, maybe someone could enlighten me :-) ) 

We looked at our story mountain and going over what happens at various stops along our climb. They really liked the analogy of writing/reading a story being like climbing a mountain. 

We talked about how traditional tales start and had a look at different stories to check that we were right. This was great to do because my little ones always struggle with writing and spelling 'Once upon a time' and this reinforced it. 

We thought a bit about our character (Goldilocks) and thought of some character traits for her. We discussed how yellow hair and pink dress are not character traits but adjectives to describe parts if the character. Then in the next lesson we also looked at adjectives which lead us into our next task.

We created wanted posters about the Wolf in Goldilocks to help my (fake) police officer sister find him. We talked a lot about how we need to use descriptive words to help the police find this wolf or it would be too hard. Instead of,  'he is a wolf' they were writing, 'He is a tall wolf with long furry ears and eyes as big as dinner plates. He has a wet, black nose and teeth that are sharp and pointy.' :)

{ Camera juggling }

First of all an apology. I have got to get better at taking pictures. The problem in class is that I want to take pictures on my iPad or my camera but I have to use my school camera for any photos that go onto our school website so juggling three cameras hasn't been easy. 

This week in literacy we have been looking at traditional tales. We started off by retelling the story using puppets that I got on Early learning headquarters, the kids loved these! They retold the story sooo well using time connectives of course. Then will be moving on to character traits...ill be honest, I am pulling my hair out at this but I think we will get there in the end!

Next week I won't be teaching too much because we have school open days in the mornings and the kids are meant to be working quietly and independently so that I am free to chat. In reception, year one and year two we work through early English skills so I will be leaving them to get on with that. 

Any ideas for independent activities for 5 year olds to do quietly for 2 hours? 

{Place Value}

So this week has been hectic again. My wee kiddos are struggling with a full school day and keeping up with formal schooling and not playing all day. I have to keep reminding them (and myself) that it will get easier as the year progresses.

This week we have started by looking at tens and units. The whole class found it hard to understanding grouping in tens, so we used unifix cubes and then base ten blocks to explain. We are going to fill in our place value houses tomorrow and move on to counting ten pence and one pence! This is a huge step for them! 

We work through these workbooks nearly every day. Last year I had loads of extension work for the class to do when they finished, but this class is not as interested in learning or working quickly. We are really working on writing our numbers the correct way especially the number nine.. 

 Any ideas to explain place value for my littlies? 

{ First Week }

The first week has come and gone, and I must say that it was a whirlwind!  I can't believe that a short week ago there was lots of midday naps, movies, walks in the sun and general relaxing.  It is a stressful time every year and I'm always thinking "will I remember how to teach, what to do when I stand infront of them, will I remember how to keep them safe and entertained all day long?" and more questions that seem to penetrate into my dreams weeks and weeks before school even begins. It is such a relief when you get in and remember how to do everything. :)

I have to say this week was exhausting and to say it was anything less than crazy would be a lie! Throughout all of the craziness I completly forgot to take photos of what we got up to. I very quickly snapped this picture of my behavious board as we focused A LOT on this (I have a very chatty class). I will try to remember pictures for this week and some of the activities we get up to. 

It is so easy to forget how little my year ones are when they first come in to class and how much they need support in everything they do. Next week will be the start of our independence and stamina building for my little kiddos, fingers crossed! I'm also meeting parents this week to fill them in on procedures, expectations and how well our first week went. Hopefully they are as excited about the year to come as I am.

I'm off to catch up on sleep before the craziness starts again tomorrow. Hope you all had a good first week with your kids.

{ Prep Prep Prep }

Oh my word, I am exhausted! Don't know about everyone else but this week for me so far has been time to prep my class room and have meetings. Meetings, meetings, meetings.

My kiddos came in today. It was chaotic to say the least. I will fill you in in procedures and activities soon, but right now I need to go to sleep. 

How did everyone else's first day go? 

{ Keeping Calm }

This wee dude is keeping me happy and calm today. 

{ One Day }

It feels silly to be nervous about a new school year but I am incredibly overcome with nerves!  One more day of preparation before the new school term starts. I will be back with updates and feedback from the first week. Fingers crossed, prayers a plently and good thoughts going to any of you having your first day this week. Let me know how they go. 

{ No Worries }

What do you think of my make shift post box? Thought it would do until I can afford/have time to buy/make a proper red English post box. I am going to introduce it in a few weeks. In the U.K curriculum we have to teach personal, health, social and emotional studies (PHSE) which can actually be difficult. A lot of adults assume that children are born knowing and understanding things such as emotions but actually they need to be taught. 

In my class we have a morning meeting every day as a way to check in, this is a great entry into PHSE as it gives you 15-20 mins a day to assess and talk about anything that is on the children's minds. We also have a separate lesson exclusively for PHSE or circle time. The children come to the carpet and sit in their circle spots, we try and not talk or interrupt unless we are holding circle time ted (a gorgeous teddy bear), this has always been hard to get going but once we learn about respect and good listening it gets easier. Promise. Then we discuss our topic which could be anything from emotions to staying safe, we sometimes role play ways to deal with situations, and then we complete a short activity. 

SIDE NOTE: I used to hate teaching these lessons because I never had them as a child and my cohort in school turned out fine, they can be overly sentimental but I will tell you what turned me around. A few years back, in my first year actually, I taught a child who used to attack me (biting, scratching, hair pulling, spitting, chair or table throwing etc) as well as other children, this child was referred to a child psychologist. What was uncovered was that this child has never been taught empathy. NEVER BEEN TAUGHT EMPATHY! Then next part was even more complicated, If he hurt himself or was upset he would seek condolence, if however he did not feel that this was adequate enough then minutes, hours or even days later he would hurt someone else to watch them being comforted in a hope this would make him feel better.

That's when circle times became much more frequent and relevant in my classes. 

{ Meaningful Talk }

So something that I am going to be working on a lot this year is teaching my kiddos to  hold conversations with me and with each other that are more meaningful, especially during carpet and group times. I have a picture in my head of how this is going to look and sound. I'm thinking wee angels sitting quietly having deep conversations with each other, okay, okay, I know, who am I kidding right? Well I have these two posters made, hanging up (on my cover your eyes, yellow walls) and ready for the first day of school.  i will be modeling modeling modeling this sentence frames constantly until, hopefully, they are stuck inside everyones heads. Wish me luck!!

How do you get your kiddos to hold conversations with eachother?

{ Fairy Tales }

I was just chatting to a friend about how many children's books I have. It really is sad because I have more kids books than my own but honnestly it is because I find them so enchanting and it doesn't half help that I'm a primary teacher!

I thought I would share my favourite author. Firstly you should all head over to Emily Gravett's Official Site she is hands down my teacher author crush. I love her books.

Look at these illustrations, are they not to die for?

God Bless
Lo

{ Golden Time }

I don't know how many people do golden time in class, but it was set up in my class before I took over the job and I wouldn't give it up for anything now. I think it is a great time in reception right through to year six to promote imagination, team work, creativity and allow children to use the classroom space in their own way. Of course if you are lucky enough to have a big space and have role play areas then you know what I mean. Unfortunately, as I've said my classroom is tiny so this is the best of both worlds for us. 

For those of you who don't know what it is, I'll try and explain it as best as possible and how I have implemented my golden time system. 

In a nut shell, golden time is precious free time at the end of the week that children earn. The picture above shows you how we document minutes lost. All children start the week with 30 minutes, however if they do not follow the classroom rules, complete work etc then they can lose minutes. The children use a whiteboard pen and tally marks to keep track of their own minutes. I was amazed how well this system worked along side the classroom rules and expectations because all the kiddos want to keep their full half an hour. 

We have our free time on a Friday afternoon after show and tell and I have to tell you that it is joyous to watch the kids get out games, drawing, role play clothes and see them prance around their classroom stage. The vocabulary that comes from their imaginative play is fabulous and can't be taught. If you ever get a chance to have golden time, have a go, it doesn't just have to be play it could be different rewards such as ice cream, going to the park, extra games or even a pizza party.

Do you have more ideas for golden time?