Tag Archives: learning something new

Grandma & Grandpa

I need to apologize to my grandma & my MOM!

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I am such a SLACKER!

I think I have it all together…

I DO NOT! HOW? How to do it?

My Grandmother & MY MOM

raised a family, worked at home & outside the home,

and we always had stuff when we wanted it.

AND I NEVER ASKED HOW?

Grandma & Grandpa

My Grandma & Grampa

This is my GMA & GPA…

I miss them both.

They lived on a dairy.

 My GPA taught me about cows, HARD work, & what “silage” tasted like! ICK!

My Gma always wore a dress & heels. She was a petite little thing.

She wore toilet paper around her hair at night, so she would look “good” in the morning.

My Gpa didn’t give us candy.

 When we left his house, he would give us a teaspoonful of brown sugar

, from the jar in Gma’s kitchen.

 Nothing fancy..but it meant EVERYTHING to us!

They owned a peach orchard.

 40 acres of peaches.

I never really thought about it when I was little.

 It was just a “lot of trees”. HOW to keep it all together?

Engangement photo

Mom & Dad’s ENGAGEMENT photo

This is my MOM & Dad ( I just found this engagement pic.) HAHA

59 years

59 years together!

They worked hard.

My dad went to work every day.

 Dressed in his suit & white shirt

( that my mom ironed..I know ..with an iron & ironing board! )

And my mom worked a self-owned business,

was ALWAYS there when we got home from school,

 and helped us with EVERYTHING we ever did ( sports, clubs, school, etc).

And I never asked HOW?

How do you do it ALL?

And now this…

Both my GMA & My MOM canned fruits, made pickles, and baked goodies!

Now I don’t bake ( leave that gene to my sister, Susie).

I have NEVER made pickles..& probably won’t… BUT

I   CAN  FRUIT!   

I CAN FRUIT, A LOT!

I  remember walking into GMA’s garage & seeing shelves FULL of canned goods.

I grabbed bottles of canned fruits from my mom’s shelves in our garage.

Peaches, pears, cherries, etc, etc, etc…  whenever we wanted!

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

It didn’t matter…it was always there.

HOW????

I never asked.

So now… I apologize to GMA & MOM.

I should have asked to help you peel, or slice, or wash, or……..or….or……

But, I cannot take it back.

SO?

I will follow in your steps.

I will teach MY DAUGHTER to can!

And my granddaughters!

I will continue the family tradition.

Only…we will use the recipe on my laptop.

( I know GMA & MOM didn’t do that!)

So here was my day TODAY ( from start to finish ).

canning peaches

Canning Peaches – jars

canning peaches

canning peaches

Wash the jars ( hot water & heated dry) in the dishwasher.

I know, GMA didn’t have a diswasher.

Hands and Hot water!

peaches

fresh peaches

peaches

washing peaches

peaches

blanched peaches

Wash..rinse…BLANCH (  Boil  whole peaches, then put in a pan of ICE WATER!)

Their peels just slide right off!

Slice, Slice, slice!

canning "station"

Hubbies canning station

Too hot to cook inside!

Set up our camp stove OUTSIDE!

Pan on the left is a sugar/water mixture.

Cook the peaches in for a short time, then pour them into jars!

Hubby is sooooo  good at this!

peaches

Peaches in jars

canning peaches

Sliced peaches in jars

peaches

peaches in jars

Then…

Boil in a water bath ( 25 minutes ) to seal.

peaches

seal the cans

 and…

VOILA!

peaches

Canned peaches

peaches

canned peaches

There we go!

11 quarts of fresh canned peaches!

They will be sooo  good this winter!

Daddy gave us more peaches

…so I am thinking of a peach cobbler for dinner!

or maybe…..

I SHOULD MAKE JAM!

Gma made jam……so did MOM…WOW!

This is HOW!

I should THANK them.   🙂

And I did. Gma hears my prayers. Mom gets my phone calls.

TELL THEM THANK YOU!

It gives me warm fuzzies. 🙂  Happy heart.

Here are some more posts to help me “get it all together!”

Planting Seeds

You can lead a horse to water…BUT

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Happy Summer! Today’s topic..CHICKENS!  WHAT???

I have been helping hubby…AKA…FARMER WITHOUT A FARM…

Keep the homestead happy while he works & I ..vacation!

I have weeded vegetable gardens, picked vegetables, mowed, watered & etc.

(I know..I like to work outside, but IT’S BEEN SOOO HOT!)

 

But, we also have..

 

2 CHICKENS!

Yes..chickens..in a chicken coop.

I live in a suburban town.

70,000 people…house 5-8 feet APART!

 

AND WE HAVE CHICKENS!

I REALLY like fresh chicken eggs…and baby chicks are  SOOOOO  cute!

 

Now I will say..our city allows you to have 5…

we only have 2! That’s enough!

Here is RAPUNZEL – she has LONG feathers

SNOW WHITE is black ( hiding I am sure ) – C’mon

..Snow White has BLACK hair!

 ( Granddaughter’s  named them)

Here is the TRI-LEVEL Chicken CONDO!

My hubby takes EXCELLENT care of his “chickies”…

BUT..

It has been hot here in NOR CAL…100 degrees plus!

Our “chickies” have a HUGE water tank (oustide the coop )

attached with a hose 

to the inside of the coop

 with a  “CUP” 

inside the for them to drink from.

It’s attached by a hose to our sprinklers

 so they always have clean, fresh water to drink!

(Smart HUBBY)

The only problem is….

THEY WANT ME TO FILL IT

…intead of “pecking it” , for the water to come out!

They would LOVE it ,

 if I would just stand there… 

& keep the cup full.

NOT!

So what’s a farmer’s wife to do?

Just as teaching anyone to do anything…

 

MODEL, MODEL, MODEL

Guided Practice

Independent Practice

 

Really? 

YOU  want ME  to Model this??????? To CHICKENS????

NOT!   REALLY???   ME????

 

So..I took a stick..pushed on the nozzel in the cup ( really just tapped it)

AND WATER FILLED UP THE CUP!

I had both of them in my hands

..NOT CHOKING THEM

   though I may have thought about it!

..just  enough so they wouldn’t scratch me!

I showed them where the water was & how to get it!

Then I stuck pushed,  pushed a little harder, their “LITTLE BEAKS” into the cup.

(MANY times!)

Over & Over

and

Over and Over…

Did I mention chickens are NOT  “above average” in cognitive development?

And again…and  again..

DONE!

NOW for independent practice! 🙂

Here’s my theory..

I WILL NOT POUR THE WATER INTO YOUR BEAKS!

If you are thirsty….

DRINK!!!!!

So..

They are alive.

 I guess sometime ( when I am NOT looking )..

they drink!

SUCCESS!

SO..you can lead a horse to water…

 

but make sure he teaches the chickens HOW to drink!

 

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

From me  to YOU…

 

CHICKEN DANCE!

 

(NO…I WILL NOT

 TEACH THEM

 HOW TO DANCE!!!)

 

Click Here 🙂

I think I will go practice the MACARENA! 🙂

I was taught “Hard Work” by the BEST!

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I am such a SLACKER! I think I am a hard worker!

I think I have it all together..

I DO NOT!

 

My Grandmother & MY MOM

raised a family, worked at home & outside the home, 

and we always had stuff when we wanted it.

THEY were hard workers!

 

AND I NEVER ASKED HOW?

 
I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Gma & Gpa taught me to work hard!

This is my GMA & GPA…

I miss them both.

They lived on a dairy.

 My GPA taught me about cows, HARD work, & what “silage” tasted like! ICK!

My Gma always wore a dress & heels. She was a petite little thing.

She wore toilet paper around her hair at night, so she would look “good” in the morning.

My Gpa didn’t give us candy.

 When we left his house, he would give us a teaspoonful of brown sugar 

, from the jar in Gma’s kitchen.

 Nothing fancy..but it meant EVERYTHING to us!

They owned a peach orchard.

 40 acres of peaches. 

I never really thought about it when I was little.

 It was just a “lot of trees”.

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

My Mom & Dad who taught me about Hard Work.

This is my MOM & Dad ( I just found this engagement pic.) HAHA

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

My happy parents who both work hard!

They are hard workers. 

My dad went to work every day.

 Dressed in his suit & white shirt 

( that my mom ironed..I know ..with an iron & ironing board! )

And my mom worked a self-owned business, 

was ALWAYS there when we got home form school,

 and helped us with EVERYTHING we ever did ( sports, clubs, school, etc).

And I never asked HOW?

How do you do it ALL? 

And now this….

Both my GMA & My MOM canned fruits, made pickles, and baked goodies!

Now I don’t bake ( leave that gene to my sister, Susie).

I have NEVER made pickles..& probably won’t..BUT  

I   CAN  FRUIT!   

I CAN FRUIT, A LOT!

I  remember walking into GMA’s garage & seeing shelves FULL of canned goods.

I grabbed bottles of canned fuits from my mom’s shelves in our garage.

Peaches, pears, cherries, etc, etc, etc,,   whenever we wanted!

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall

It didn’t matter…it was always there.

HOW????  Hard Work!

I never asked.

So now..I apologize to GMA & MOM.

I should have asked to help you peel, or slice, or wash, or……..or….or……to do the hard work!

But, I cannot take it back.

SO?

I will follow in your steps.

I will teach MY DAUGHTER to can!

And my granddaughters!

I will continue the family tradition. Work Hard!

Only…we will use the recipe on my laptop.

( I know GMA & MOM didn’t do that!)

So here was my day TODAY ( from start  to finish ).

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Canning fruits & vegetables is Hard Work!

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Work Smarter not Harder!

Wash the jars ( hot water & heated dry) in dishwasher.

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Pick the fruit from the trees, Hard Work!

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Wash them for safety. Hard Work.

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Blanch them to peel them easily. Hard Work.

Wash..rinse…BLANCH (  Boil  whole peaches, then put in pan of ICE WATER!)

Their peels  just  slide right off!

Slice, Slice, slice!

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Work Smarter not Harder!

Too hot to cook inside!

Set up our campstove OUTSIDE!

Pan on the left is a sugar/water mixture.

Cook the peaches in for a short time, then pour into jars!

Hubby is sooooo  good at this!

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Hard Work.

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Harder Work.

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Hubby does the hard work.

Then…

Boil in a water bath ( 25 minutes ) to seal.

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Hard work pays off.

 and…

VOILA!

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Canning is hard work, but so worth it!

I was taught HARD WORK by the BEST!

Hard work pays off for MONTHS to come!

There we go!

11 quarts of fresh canned peaches!

They will be sooo  good  this winter! 

(Daddy gave us more peaches 

…so I am thinking peach cobbler for dinner!)

or maybe…..

I SHOULD MAKE JAM!

Gma made jam……so did MOM….WOW…Hard Work!

I should THANK them.   🙂

JULY already? NO!!! Summer… SLOW DOWN!

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Where did my SUMMER go?

July???  Already HERE?  End of JULY is close! NO!!!!

 (Sniff…sniff…deep breath..) I need to get my classroom ready for… The First day of SCHOOL!

OK…student’s are coming to school July 30..

I had better go & see what it looks like..

Books on the floor!

EEEEEEEKKKKKKK!

WHO LEFT THIS HUGE MESS in my classroom!!!????

Oh, yeah…ME? 🙂

I locked the door …AND  RAN!!!!!

Whew! Time to clean up!

So, I spent today (again) working in my room, this time…

throwing things away!

I purged like I never have before!

My poor janitor…he came in twice to take away PILES.

But it’s getting there. Now to teacher organization.

I have 3 big things I did TODAY:

1. I got rid of my teacher desk. 

No more file cabinets, drawers, or “piling” surface.

I now have a “U” reading table as my area! 

LOVE THIS!

 I now have 2 tall (5ft) bookcases next to my area.

Teacher's Guided Reading Table

2. I made a “supply” center ( Lowes tool box) 

for all of my desk supplies.

AND…

to keep all of my centers and student stations…

My teacher TOOLBOX.Organize after getting rid of my TEACHER DESK!

LOOK AT WHAT I DID TODAY!

WMart  3 drawer containers.

I “cutsied” ( is that a word?) them..

LOVE LOVE LOVE them!

My counter has NEVER been this clean! 🙂

I couldn’t decide what I wanted on each label.

So, I chose the month ( so I can add theme materials)

AND

next to it, I put what skill is taught during that month.

My thinking is …

when I create or purchase new materials,

I can file them either by the month OR by the skill.

Math was a little harder…most CCSS cross the entire year.

You can’t just teach number & operations in August…all year long! 

I think I will keep the standard, and separate each one by quarter.

Maybe…or maybe monthly…I dunno yet. 

I need to live with it a while & see how things go!

Busy day!  I love getting organized!

Tomorrow I challenge the dreaded….

PUZZLE CABINET!    UGH!

FREEBIE…You made it to the bottom of this post…

Here’s A FREEBIE FOR YOU! (Click HERE)

Back to School Word Work PREVIEW FREEBIE!

Let me know…HOW DO YOU GET READY FOR BACK TO SCHOOL?  

How to GROW a RAINBOW in YOUR Classroom!

How to Grow a RAINBOW in YOUR classroom!

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This week: Classroom Helpers

Each of us is a flower… Growing in Life’s Garden (by Charlotte Diamond)

Can I really GROW A RAINBOW? YES!

This is the entry into a world where ALL students are flowers in the classroom garden. Each is unique, colorful, and needs it’s own nurturing to THRIVE! How to create a classroom environment where each student with different needs and abilities will blossom. When we create our classroom bouquet, we have grown a RAINBOW from the seeds we have planted.

Each of us is a Flower. How to grow a RAINBOW in the classroom. Tips & Tricks.
Beautiful Garden of Mixed Flowers

One time per week, I will post a TIP, a TRICK, and/or a HACK to help YOU, the teacher, nurture our students into thriving blossoms of learning! My hope is that through support, trials & tribulations, and time-saving tips, YOU may grow YOUR RAINBOW!

RAINBOW of flowers. From: How to grow a rainbow in your classroom. 1stgradefireworks
RAINBOW of flowers. From: How to grow a rainbow in your classroom. 1stgradefireworks

Today’s TOPIC:

CLASSROOM HELPERS

First, My number 1 goal in MY classroom is to make INDEPENDENT LEARNERS!

Because, I want my students to be active participants in society. I want them to be LIFE-LONG LEARNERS! AND…I want them to be independent THINKERS!

HOW? Model…TEACH…Model…TEACH…I DO. WE DO. YOU DO! Then, RELEASE THE KRACKEN!

Release the Kracken!

In order to help support the independent learning, I give each child the OPPORTUNITY to be a HELPER.

A Leader. The person “in charge”.

For some this may the first time they have ever been given the WHOLE responsibility of a JOB!

(Think HELICOPTER PARENTS).

For some, it is a responsibility they take on JOYFULLY!

For others, they embrace the position, but NOT the RESPONSIBILITY!

Practice..practice…practice.

And so, to help nurture the independence of each of my little “seedlings”,

I CHOOSE DAILY Helpers.  I know, some classrooms have weekly helpers, some permanent helpers, but for ME? I choose them daily. In my class of 24, each student SHOULD be each of our helpers by the end of the month. I say SHOULD. I make no promises. We are in a continuous state of growing!

WHAT HELPERS DO I NEED?

If you go to pinterest there are thousands of samples of 

Classroom helper/job cards

in a MULTITUDE of classroom themes!

These are a few I have found on pinterest….

Classroom Helpers Set. Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detectives from Grow a Rainbow - 1stgradefireworks
Classroom Helpers Set.
Mrs. Lirette’s Learning Detectives
from Grow a Rainbow – 1stgradefireworks
How to Grow a RAINBOW in Your classroom. Planet Happy Smiles. 1stgradefireworks
How to Grow a RAINBOW in Your classroom. Planet Happy Smiles. 1stgradefireworks
How to Grow a Rainbow in YOUR Classroom! Mrs. Possum's Classroom. 1stgradefireworks
How to Grow a Rainbow in YOUR Classroom! Mrs. Possum’s Classroom. 1stgradefireworks

But…putting up the cards and

USING THEM TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

are two different things.

And that is THE OBJECTIVE…

Helper ( JOB )  Cards are a way for students to take RESPONSIBILITY

AND

HELP THE TEACHER! 🙂

Here is HOW I USE THEM!

Each morning our  bell rings at 8:20 AM.

We are working at 8:21.

My students put HW folders in the basket,

backpacks & jackets on the shelves,

and get ready for chromebooks.

(Don’t be tardy…you will miss computer  time) 

While they are “waiting patiently”..Ie: staring through my back, grinning quietly, hoping I call their name…

I take name cards ( nothing FANCY…3 X 5 cards with THEIR NAME ON IT 🙂 )

and 

change the helpers in a small pocket chart at the front of my room.

I know..BAD PICTURE…I swear the POCKET CHART is right there! 🙂

My pocket chart came from the $1 section at Target. Nothing FANCY!

MY JOBS are:

Line Leader

Door Holder

Messenger

Clean Up Crew (2 students)

Ball Handlers ( 2 for recess)

Tech Teachers ( 4 students )

They change daily.

They biggest change I have made is..

YOU MUST BE

 “ON TIME AND IN YOUR SEAT” – To be a HELPER!

WOW…no more tardies!

EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A HELPER!

AND after JANUARY… They can choose their job!

(I wait until January because I want to make sure they ALL know EXACTLY what the job is, and may have had a chance to be that “special” helper once before. I want them to see it in action, before they have CHOICE!)

When I turn over the name cards…

(Yesterday’s names to the back of the pile,,)

I ask..

“Do you want to be a ____   OR  _____?”

Whatever the next two jobs available are.

They CHOOSE what they want to do.

That choice allows them to take personal responsibility.

AND THEY DO!

Allow the little ones to be a PART of the classroom!

They LOVE IT!

I hope YOU check out the blogs and pins online to find the HELPERS that fit YOUR classroom and YOUR style! If you need a SPECIAL order HELPERS CARDS SET, email me. I do special orders, too!

1stgradefireworks@gmail.com

Whatever JOBS you choose…let them take RESPONSIBILITY! Don’t do it for them!

NO HELICOPTER TEACHERS! Even when YOUR OCD kicks in!

MODEL..MODEL..MODEL!

Come back next week for ANOTHER round of …

HOW TO GROW A RAINBOW IN YOUR CLASSROOM!

Here is a little “HELPER”

to help YOU get started… 🙂

Click HERE for FREEBIE!

See YOU next week! Wendy 1stgradefireworks