Learning and Loving It!


This week has been a crazy busy week for me.  


On Monday, I started my week by beginning our school's Book Talk Club on Debbie Diller's book Math Work Stations with my friends at Sunshine, Sand and Scissors.

We started with Chapter one and it was a great learning time for our K-3 teachers.  It is so nice to share ideas with other educators and the best part is that I have found so many wonderful ideas from other blogs.  Last year in June, Deedee Wills hosted a Math Work Stations Blog Party for Chapter 1 and 2.  All of the links that were shared during her linky party helped us to beef up our book chat.  The teachers were very excited about finding grade specific ideas on other blogs.


Then on Wednesday, another K-teacher and I attended a fabulous workshop with one of favorite presenters/bloggers, Kim Adsit.   If you have never had the opportunity to attend one of her workshops, you are really missing out.  We have seen her numerous times at the SDE Kindergarten Conference in Orlando and in Las Vegas.  She is a wonderful speaker.  This time we attended DI for the Little Guy.  It was awesome!  She shared so many wonderful ways to differentiate instruction in the classroom and even helped us to realize that we are often differentiating instruction and not even aware of it.   Also, she has so many fantastic free downloads on her  website.  Check it out!


Now, I am continuing my week of learning in style!  It is 10 am and I am still in my jammies, sipping on my favorite cup of coffee and anxiously awaiting the start of Everything's Kindergarten Virtual Teaching Expo.  Yes, I paid the whopping price of $14.95 to attend a workshop in my jammies.  I have to say...WHAT A DEAL!  I can't wait to see what Fran, Hadar, Crystal, and Krissy have to share.  I know it will be good great FANTASTIC!  Also, have you seen all the free downloads you get?  That is a no brainer if you ask me.


Is anyone else still in their jammies waiting for the expo to start?  
Is anyone else reading Debbie Diller's Math Work Stations book?
Or....is anyone just glad it is the weekend?  


Whatever you are doing today, have a wonderful time!


Happy Blogging,
Ann

Kids say the Funniest Things

Student:  "Mrs. Greene, I think so-and-so peed in his pants!"

Me:  "How do you know that he had an accident?"

Student:  "Because when I touched his butt, it was wet!"

Think about it!!!!

Would you seriously touch someone else's hinny when you can visual see that it is wet?  Only in Kindergarten!

:)  Happy Blogging,
Ann

Math Work Stations Help

My teacher friends over at Sunshine Sand and Scissors and I are teaming up at our school to teach a book chat regarding Debbie Diller's new book Math Work Stations.  We are uber excited about helping our fellow classroom teachers enter the world of using work stations to teach math.  We already have some wonderful ideas to share but we are always on the lookout for more.

I have been perusing blogs and have found several that have great ideas linking common core standards to the math work station approach; however, I am wondering if there are any more out there that I have not discovered yet.  Especially any addressing the intermediate grades.   If you know of any awesome blogs, websites, links, ideas, etc. to help us with the book study, please share!  We would love to check out what you have found.

Also, I am sure we will keep you posted as well regarding the status of our book talk either through my blog or through theirs.  We already have some great work station ideas circulating in our brain to help teach common core standards.  We just have to find the time to make them (I know no one else has this problem, huh?).

Thanks in advance for any help!

Happy Blogging!

Ann

A Great Start to a New Year

     After spending five hours in my classroom yesterday preparing for my little ones return, I came home to blog stalk and found out that I had received my first blog award.  I was so excited!  I even screamed out for my husband to tell him the good news and, of course, he could have cared less.  Obviously, he is a non-blogger.  Oh well...too bad for him.  Anyway, Michelle over at Inspired by Kindergarten was so kind to give me The Versatile Blogger Award.  Thank you, Michelle!

     Since this is all new to me, of course, I had to do my research and here is what you do when you are bestowed this honor:

1.  Thank the person who nominated you with a link back to them.
2.  Tell 7 things about yourself (Oh this will be good!)
3.  Pass this on to 15 newly discovered blogs and let them know they've received an award!  (What?   Only 15.   That is going to be difficult!)

     So since I have already thanked Michelle, it looks like it is time to tell you seven things about me.  Are you sure you really want to know this stuff?

1. I know I posted this story as a comment on another blog, but it is a "must share."  All of you in the blogging world know me as Ann Greene; however, my real name is Gay Ann.  I love the name my parents gave me and it worked fine until I marred the love of my life, Derek Greene.  That was when I discovered that Gay Ann Greene is quite a funny name.  If you haven't figured it out yet, say it quickly three times....you will get it.  
2. Other than teaching, I have another love!  I love photography!  About five years ago I got my first DSLR camera and I have been hooked from that point.  Not only do I stalk teaching blogs, but I also love finding new photography blogs.  Maybe that is why my husband occasionally asks if I am ever going to get off that thing (computer).  Sorry, honey!  
3. I guess I can tell you more about my family.  My husband and I are high school sweethearts.  We have been married for 21 years and have two children:  Alan, age 12 and Abby, age 7.  I have to admit...my kids are wonderful!  I got lucky in that area and I hope it continues!  My son has taken piano lessons since he was four and he makes me cry everytime he plays.  My daughter just started taking piano lessons too (She wants to be like her big brother; I guess I need to buy stock in some tissue company.)  Abby also has been in dance since she was four.  She loves to dance for us!  She just got Wii Dance for Christmas and it is quite fun watching her learn new moves.  Now that is a game that I enjoy playing with her...I can shake my groove thing as well.
4. Hmmm...what else should I tell you?  I work at an AWESOME school and have some of the best co-workers.  It really doesn't feel like work when I go there...it feels like I am going to play with other family members.  The name of my school is Osceola Elementary School and it is one block from beach (you can even hear the roll of the waves on quiet days...obviously, when no kids are around...you know, Teacher Duty Days).  I have a great team of teachers that I work with and we all help each other make our job easier.  Oh, and here is another secret about me....my lovely co-workers made me their Teacher of the Year this school year.  It is so nice to know that my co-workers think that I am doing a good job.
5. I hope I am not babbling about things that you could care less about so maybe I should liven it up a bit.  This one has to do with my co-workers as well.  Every year, in June, a bunch of us teachers get together and go on a CRUISE.  Yes, you heard me right....we take a break from all the hustle and bustle of life....we let our hair down....we go a bit crazy....we go on a ALL GIRL, NO KIDS ALLOWED CRUISE!  Oh man, do I have some stories to tell!  But you know what they say..."What happens on the cruise, stays on the cruise!"  However, if I ever meet you in person some day, ask me to tell you the story about the male escort that we met while sailing.  It is quite funny!  
6. I guess this brings me to my next fact about me...I LOVE TO TRAVEL.  I know...you are probably saying "Who doesn't?"  However, even my friends state that I travel more than the average person. Since the state of Florida has four cruise ports within driving distance for me and sometimes those cruise ships just offer deals that are too good to be true, I have been on over....well, I have simply lost track of how many cruises I have been on.  I do know that I have been to Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Grand Cayman, St. Croix, St. Martin, Grand Turks, and the good ole' Bahamas.  I have even pondered the thought of working on a cruise ship after my kids are older.  I could so be a cruise director...after all, I am very organized and I love to have fun. I am sure that is part of the criteria for being a cruise director.
7. Really...I still have to tell you one more thing about myself!  I guess I will go with one of the last tidbits I let slip.  I mentioned just a few moments ago that I am very organized.  I think that is a bit of an understatement.  I am the OCD type organized.  Seriously, my favorite stores are IKEA and the container store.  I actually subscribe to magazines on organization and loved watching "Clean Sweep."  I would even DVR it when I wasn't at home.  What ever happened to that show?  Maybe one day I will do a blog entry on my classroom organization.  Oh my...how long can a blog entry be?  

     Wow!  I did it...I actually found seven things to tell you about myself.  Amazing!  Now onto the 15 blogs that I am sending this award to.  Since I am a pretty new blogger myself (only since August), I can pretty much give this award to anyone.  So here goes:

1. Sunshine Sand and Scissors
2. Lil' Country Kindergarten
   
3. Can Do Kinders
4. Kindergarten Hoppenings
   
5. Live Love Laugh Everyday in Kindergarten
6. Going Nutty
7. CE Kindergarten Kids Rock
   
8. First Grade Fun with Miss Gilbert
   
9. KinderGals
10. Kindergarten is a Hoot
    
11. Kindergarten Katy
    
12. Kkindergarten Lifestyle
    
13. Kinder Karen
    
14. Mrs. Lee's Kindergarten
    
15. Kinders on the Block
    

     Well, that it!  It was hard to nominate just 15.  I could have nominated everyone on my blog roll (which is a lot).  I tried to bestow this honor to some newbies so that we all can get to know each other better.

    I guess it is time for me to get off this computer and get some work done on my last day of freedom.  My personal goals for today are to get the Christmas decorations down and put away and clean the carpet in my daughters play room (if I can get her to stop playing Wii dance for an hour...I don't know I might just join her and procrastinate some more).

Happy Blogging!

Ann