Tired of Traveling and Bloglovin

The past week has been very busy me.  Right after the last day of school, I took a mini vacation to Washington, D.C. with the BF.

This is us by the US Capitol Building

While I was on the trip, I got a phone call from a potential employer to interview the day I was flying back home (Tuesday).  Wow, I was nervous on missing the interview because it was literally 2.5 hours after I flew in.  But I made it and the interview went really well.

Then on Wednesday was my district's first day of summer school.  Boy, was that a crazy and hectic morning!  It was great seeing all of my students again plus we had a new boy join our class.

And today I had to wake up at 3am to catch a 6:00 AM flight out to Atlanta for another interview.  This was actually the final interview for this school and I am hoping and praying for good news.  So after traveling all over the place, I am pooped!  I feel like I haven't slept in days.  At least I was having an adventure in some cool places I haven't been to for a long time.  I was so tired from my LONG interview (it was from 10:45am-4:30pm with an hour lunch), I washed my hair with body lotion instead of conditioner in the shower!  I definitely grabbed the wrong bottle and I guess I was sleep showering (is that a thing?).

On a completely different note, have you heard of Bloglovin?  I found out about this awesome site from Lindsay @ My Life as a Third Grade Teacher.  It's a great free website and app where you can read all of your favorite blogs you follow in one easy user-friendly site.  You should switch today (before you forget) and check it out since Google Reader will be no more in July!  Also, if you aren't following me yet, click on the right hand side so you can read my future posts on Bloglovin!

Well I better go to bed and catch up on some Zzz's.  And I will leave you with this cute video I found yesterday.

Videos of the Day: Winters Coats and a Pep talk

What do you think about the weather lately?  Here in Chicagoland, we've been getting days that are cold, snowy, and icy while there are other days that are wet, warm, and lots of wind.  It is crazy to have snow one day and then 50 degree weather on the next (like today).

Since we've been back to school, we've been showing our kinders this awesome coat video.  This video shows a cat (Crawford) on how he puts on his coat.  He uses the strategy where you put on your coat by placing it on the floor and flip flopping it on.  I know a lot of OT/PT and preschool teachers LOVE this video because of the floor flip flop strategy.  Does your school use this coat strategy?  Our district does and we now sing it to our kinders every day.  The best part of this video is the catchy Coat Flip Flop song as you do it!  It will be stuck in your head for weeks!

Here is another great video you can share with your friends, co-workers, family, and students.  Have you heard of Kid President? He has many awesome videos that make you think and smile.  This particular one is great to share before the Super Bowl next Sunday.  This video is great to start group discussions and reflect.  I love his little encouragement messages.  If you love this video as much as I do, you definitely need to check out his other videos.  This kid definitely knows how to make you feel good. :)

Stay tuned later this week as I talk more about Chinese New Year and maybe another freebie! In the meanwhile, Laurah at The ESOL Odyssey is having a Chinese & Lunar New Year Linky Party. Go check it out for free and paid products for the upcoming holiday.  Also click {here} for my Year of the Snake freebie I posted a while back.

Jolly Christmas Videos

Just one more day of school until winter break!!  A storm is brewing above us in the Midwest.  I'm so happy that my sister was able to fly in today because they cancelled all flights after 4pm at the Midway airport in Chicago! I'm happy to finally see snow but I'm also DREADING to go outside for recess tomorrow.

Are you looking for any last minute videos to share with your class before break starts?  Here are my students' 3 top favorite videos we have been watching this month:

1.  S-A-N-T-A from Super Simple Songs:  To the tune of Bingo, this is a fun and festive song to sing as a whole class.  The clapping along the beat is fun and easy to follow in the video.

3.  The Dancing Christmas Tree Song:  A YouTube video by the Kids TV 123, this is a dancing and interactive song that will make your little ones ask you repeat all day.  I like this video a lot because you can move all sorts of body parts with the characters.

2.  The Santa Counting Song: Here is another great video by Kids TV 123.  I like this song because the singer reminds me of Jack Johnson.  Also, my students like to count the presents along as Santa takes them out of his sack.

I hope you can use this videos and share with your students tomorrow!  This would be a great time filler if you are looking for extra fun things to do in class.

Well I'm off to decide which Pajamas I am going to wear to school tomorrow!! Don't you just love Pajama day at school?!

It's Almost Friday and November Currently

Today was a hectic day!  Many of my kindergartners get easily tired by the end of the week and become very grouchy, especially during transitions and afternoon centers.  Today was worse because at least 3 of the little ones had a meltdown at the same time.  My conclusion is that last Sunday was Daylight savings and that everyone (including me) is off their usual sleep schedule.  Even though I love the fall season, the weather change is really messing up my internal clock!  I feel like I haven't seen the sun in DAYS!!! I guess that's what I get for moving up here in Chicago.  I can't wait for the weekend to come so I can relax and enjoy some quiet and peace.  Anyone else in the same boat?

Well it has been about a week since Farley started her November Currently Linky Party. PS- I am loving the color scheme and clip art she used this month! It's so fall-ish!

So here's mine!

I just bought new flannel sheets and pajamas (for our Pajama day next week) from Macy's and I am in love!  They have a lot of cute flannel stuff at their stores.  Waking up in the morning is becoming more difficult for me since they are so warm and cozy.

I've had my bedroom furniture for over 10 years and it doesn't fit in my new bedroom anymore (it's a lot smaller now), so I've been researching all of the furniture stores for good deals.  I can't wait to shop at Ikea.  I hope I can find something good there!

I moved to Illinois at the end of summer, right before school started and I haven't had a haircut since MAY.  I am in dire need to get one.  But I haven't had the time to look for a good salon here yet.  I am kind of anxious of going to a new hair salon since I've been going to the same one for at least 15 years back in Ohio.  I need to get over my fears of having a new hair stylist doing my hair and get it done before Thanksgiving rolls along.  My split ends are hideous!

As for music in the classroom, this song on YouTube has been stuck in my end since November 1.  My kids LOVE it and since it all the time (on the way to P.E., in the hallways, during centers).  It's very catchy and I love the body movements that is incorporated in this video.  We watch this every day during calendar.

Have a happy Thursday night and Thank God tomorrow is finally FRIDAY!

Once Upon A Time...

Do you read a book at the end of each day to your kids?  We always do, but sometimes you are too tired, losing your voice, or coughing up a storm to read a book.  So lately, I would put a "book on video" for the kids.  I stumbled upon this awesome website called Storyline Online.

This website was created by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation and a SAG member/actor reads a children's picture book aloud.  I love this website because not only does it provides a YouTube link of the actor reading the book, it shows the pictures of the pages ("Reading Rainbow" style), gives related activities for teachers and parents, and a short bio about the actors, writers, and illustrators.  Another great use of this website is if you need something to fill extra time, this is perfect because under each book, it shows you how long the movie is.  Some are short like 5 minutes and others are long like 15 minutes. The best part about this website and videos is that it is all free!

If you school blocks YouTube, don't worry because they also provide the same videos on SchoolTube.

Today we watched Stellaluna. Here's the video and link if you want to check it out yourself.

Some of my favorite stories from this site are:
Harry, The Dirty Dog- Bette White
Thank You, Mr. Falker- Jane Kaczmerak
A Bad Case Of Stripes- Sean Astin
Someone Loves You, Mr. Hatch- Hector Elizondo
Me and My Cat- Elijah Wood

My kids love watching and listening to these stories.  They always clap and cheer with the movie is over.  This is great to show off the SmartBoard, computers, etc.  I guarantee these videos will be a hit in your classroom!  Let me know what you and your kiddos think!

Friday Freebie!

It's friday freebie time!

Yesterday I did an awesome science experiment with my after-school kids.  Did you know you can light a regular light bulb in a microwave?!  Don't believe it, watch Steve Spangler's video about it below!



Isn't that AMAZING?! I couldn't believe it and wanted to share this cool experiment with my kids! So here is a freebie of this experiment! The worksheet follows the scientific method steps.  Your kids will be amazed with the results! Surprisingly, none of my students guessed that the light bulb would light up.  Many of them said it would explode or the bulb will be forever broken.  One even thought that the water would change colors!

I asked a volunteer to take a pic of the experiment.  You can see the bulb glowing.  Throughout the 45 seconds, the light bulb was blinking on and off.  

Caution: The glass and light bulb get very hot! So I leave it in the microwave and finish the worksheet with the students before I take it out with the oven mitt.

Check out my freebie at my TpT or TN store!! (or click on the pictures)

BTW, check out Sarah @ Kindergarten Korner's 300 follower giveaway!!! There are a lot of neat units you can win!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a cheerful Friday and weekend!

Bullies Be Gone!

I had a rough/sad day yesterday. I just found out that I didn't get that awesome teaching position overseas (they said I was the principal's second choice). However, on the bright side, the HR lady did refer me to other schools looking for teachers and gave me their contact info. I just want to say that this is the first time a HR person spent the time let me know about other schools. Honestly, this was by far the "best" rejection letter I've received.

On another note, don't you hate it when you see bullying in school or outside of school? It breaks my heart to see a child get hurt by a mean remark. Well this happened to one of my little guys at my after school program. We meet at one of the local community recreation centers and one of the older local boys (I'm pretty sure he was a 5th grader), bullied and pushed around my little guy at the pool table. He said things like, "The pool table is only for big kids who know how to play!" I remember I had to confront the big 5th grader and remind him that the pool table was for all ages. I think I scared him a little since he left 5 minutes after the confrontation.

So the bullying topic has been on my mind a lot because I know it happens right under our noses. As teachers, it is difficult to catch all of the bullying especially in the lunch room or at recess! Another bully situation I recall from student teaching last year was with one of my Indian-American girls. Her mom emailed my teacher mentor saying that the other girls at her lunch table make fun of the food she brings and that it stinks. This was so heartbreaking to me! I remember watching my teacher bring the two girls outside the hallway to talk about the situation the next day. She said, "Sally* (the bully), would you like it if someone made fun of your lunch that your mom packed for you? Lucy's* mom home cooked Lucy's* lunch out of love and you are hurting her and her mom's feelings by saying mean things." That was a memorable day for me because they don't teach you how to comfort and confront students on situations like these in college!! 

 Also, I think that situation hit home for me since I experienced relatively similar experiences-- I was typically the only Chinese-American in my classes, and kids always asked me the silliest questions!  One of my personal favorites (aka most annoying): 

Student: What's your name?

Me: Andrea

Student: No, I mean what's your REAL name?

Me: Andrea. That's the name my parents gave me! 

Student: I mean like your REAL name in Chinese!  Isn't like 'Ching Chong'...

Me: Um you can check my birth certificate, it says 'Andrea'.

(FYI, I still got these questions in college once in a while...obviously all kinds of bullying happens with adults as well)

Do you have any bullying stories you'd like to share? Also, I would love to get more advice and tips on how to deal with bullying of all kinds, whether it is cultural, gender, age, physical, mental, etc. Let's try and stop the bullying!

Here's a movie that will come out soon about bullies in schools across America. It will come out on March 30 in select theaters across the U.S. This is a definite MUST SEE on my movie list.