Sunday Rewind: It's A Wrap - Open House

This is that time of year when I wonder how I will ever make it to the end of the year.  Yes there are only a few days left in the school year - we are in the teens right now.  To get there however there is a long list of things to accomplish and check off that giant teacher to do list we all have.  

This last week was a big one - Open House.  In my district, this is a time when we invite all the parents, all the children, and potential future parents to tour our school and our classrooms.  This calls for all hands on deck and every nook and cranny to be tip-top, decorated and organized to the ninth degree.  

So here are a few pics of my classroom so you can share in this experience.
I do my best to have something from each curriculum area on display,
but there is just so much wall that you can plaster with kids projects.  

After the walls are covered, I put everything else on their desks.

This year was stressful because just as I was leaving to drive back to school for the big night, it started pouring rain.  Yikes!  I am going with "all is well that ends well".  AND. IT. DID.  I made it through the night and even managed to make it to work the next day.

Enjoy this photo tour through my first grade class and know that summer is just around the corner - time to refresh and rekindle and get ready to do it all again another year!

Geometry - Plane Shapes with marshmallows and toothpick.  

Our big buddies came and helped with this project.

 Science and Language Arts - We read Frog and Toad Stories.  

Then we planted our own seeds and learned about the life cycle of plants.  

 We raised ladybugs and watched them progress through the larva, pupa, and adult stages.  

We let them go on the rose bushes at the park next door on Friday. 

 We wrote letters to the next year's first graders.  They shared their memories of first grade and things to look forward to.  And yes... they did type all that themselves - A huge jump from the beginning of the year when they could barely type their own names correctly!

We wrote acrostic poems about ladybugs and made tulip art 

from tissue paper for the cover of our poems.

Poetry in a Jar - The students read poetry, picked a favorite, and then illustrated the poem by adding items into a jar.  We will do oral presentations of these projects to our parents next week.

Well there you have  it!  It's a wrap.

Sunday Rewind

We have 13 days left in this school year.  Can you say holy light speed?  The next 3 weeks are sure to be a whirlwind of end of year activities.  Let's see... Open House, Spring Sing, Field Day, and the End of the Year Party.  

Our Open House was this past Thursday.  I don't  know about your school, but where I work Open House is a time to show off your students' best work and is attended by almost all of our families.  It is also a time when potential students come to visit and see what is in store for the next year.  While it is very rewarding to hear the comments and compliments from the students' parents, it is also exhausting.  So a little down time this weekend is in order.

Here are some pictures of my favorite Open House projects.

Opinion Writing - What would be the best superpower to have?  I was proud of my firsties as this was one of their first assignments that they typed in the computer lab.  And yes they had help - some more than others - but the words are all theirs.

Spring Acrostic Poems with Tissue paper tulip art - The poems are underneath the tulips.

Parts of a Flower interactive science project 

Poetry in a Jar - My teaching partner came up with this awesome poetry project.  The kiddos choose a poem and then put items into the jar to illustrate the poem.  Very creative ideas!

How many days are left in your school year?  Are your remaining days filled with special events?  I would love to here about any fun things you do to keep the kids (and the teacher) interested the last few days of the year.

~Clara @ Sunflowers and Ladybugs in First Grade 

Teaching 365