ACTION!: Paper Hoarders DT Challenge

This week's Design Team Challenge over at the Paper Hoarders is ACTION! Meaning... it's gotta move. And I "do" move. So, I'll catch briefly catch you up to see what I've been working on...

Whew! It's been busy. School started here a couple of weeks ago (as seen in a previous post...), and I've been workin' it. Besides my normal everyday volunteer work (in the Kinder classes, 1st and now 2nd grades), I've been working-working as an assistant in the RSP program at another school.

And I'm having a blast!

On the first day of school, I walked into a fairly large classroom, with {gasp!!!} blank bulletin boards. My new teacher let me know that I could give her my ideas, and she'd let me know. [oh yeah!!! crafter's dream!!!!] She told me what type of boards we would need (1st, 2nd and 3rd grade ELA themes [for their current stories], Comprehension, Reading, Fluency Goals, and Math). So I set to work researching on the internet. (I'd never done those type of things before, but you know me... a challenge is a challenge, and I kinda L-O-V-E those!

eHow was a great tool... there I found a couple of ideas incorporating comprehension and some with vocabulary goals. So... I thought of combining it all, and making more up as I went, and instead of individual boards... um... making an OCEAN! Here's my crediting linkage. (Much thanks to Erin Schreiner, the author! I took her "Swimming through Comprehension" board and RAN with it!)

 I love interactivity. I arouses the mind and makes kids have fun learning. So... on eHow, I saw vocab words written down and each student as a fish swimming past these [goals]. OK. Only... we'd have each student as a fish and swim UP towards their goals in percentages (I still have to write the percentages... oopsie!)

And here's a little closer up... the percentage (of their goals) will be written on the seaweed to to the left of the chart. The different colored fishies here represent the different grades (so the students can find themselves easier). Please note... no one has moved up yet, because we're just starting the program and no one has been tested towards their goals this year.

Then we'll move onto the comprehension/theme side of things, entitled: What Does it all Mean? (how appropriate, right?)

And here, I separated the themes into the various grades...

With the titles of each of their themes... then I created a tissue paper "bubble", stapled laminated paper to it, so I could attach a current passage/story summary on each.

Then I added a passage/story summary...

The surrounding fish are laminated (so the Expo marker can be changed...) and written with either a vocabulary word or question related to the passage/story.

If you notice, they are stapled at the top and creased, so they fold up...

To reveal the definition (if a vocab word) or the answer!

As the stories change, so can our bulletin boards, without having to completely re-do them!

The same concept is done with the Math board... only these guys have googly-eyes, as their questions didn't take up so much room!

I'll incorporate more fish with questions and answers as we get beyond the previous year's review...

And then my favorite... the Island of Reading...

The cuts say "Journey", "Escape", "Dream", and "READ".

It's a work in progress, and I hope to get more fish shapes in there, but I'm on a time crunch and do have to work with the kids still, so there's really not much time for me to play with the boards, but... it's enough for Back-to-School night next week, so there we are.

I was trying to make a card earlier today, but it didn't turn out and still isn't turning out at this late hour (it's after midnight), so... this is action for today! Hopefully after hubby's vacation next week, I'll have time to figure out the dang moving card (the dimensions JUST were NOT working for me! and not letting it do what I thought it would do... ugh!).

But, in the meantime, please check out Ms. Tanya's blog, where all the other Design Team members have their work and links posted. Please be sure to give them some love, as you know... we all need it. And don't forget... you can join in the challenge, too! If you do, please be sure to leave me a link, so I can stop by and share some love, too!

Thanks for stopping by and sharing my simple pleasures with me. I appreciate it. and YOU have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Mama's Losing It! Writing Prompts: "4.) Your pets least likable character trait."

We don't really keep pets in this household. For various reasons...

I have an issue with hair.  With myself and three girls having long blond hair (so some of us lighten it, big whoop...) and the hair falling out whenever and wherever, I really can't handle all of the hair around the house (and neither can my vacuum).  So, enter a cat or dog... Simply ick.  Don't get me wrong... I love animals, I would just have a massive coronary if hair floated into my kitchen or food or my craft room. (I use glue/adhesives and fluffy hair-attracting fabrics all the time.) I don't believe animal hair would be an additive that would be well-received.

I also have an issue with feces, POOP, that is.  It was hard enough for me to change children's diapers. I am a total gagger (if that even is a word), and the sight and/or smell of crap - no matter the source - sends me into fits of involuntarily air-vomiting. Another ick. So, simply put... You KNOW the kids aren't going to clean up after a pet (no matter how much they lead you to believe the contrary). Sure, they might do okay for a couple of days or even a week, but after that? Mom ends up picking up the slack, or someone steps in it, and then it is everywhere, including inside your house, on the carpet, etc.

And so... with all of my "issues"... We have fish.  We had a pretty full tank. And then they started dying... or so I thought. (This leads into the writing prompt... hee, hee!) We currently have two fish. And I'm not getting any more (until these two either die off or kill each other). Why? Because the other fish didn't die of their own accord... they were killed, and some were partially eaten! So... that being said, my pets' least likable character trait is... CANNIBALISM! Another ick to add to my issues.

These fish are African Cichlids. Ok, okay, alright... I know they are aggressive fish. BUT, I was told (by "experts" trying to sell me fish) that they are 1) territorial (so move things around when adding more fish); 2) aggressive (so add equal amounts of new fish to not single any fish out); and 3) they won't attach fish of same type and/or size.  This is W-R-O-N-G, people!

1) I totally got that. I re-arranged ALL of the plants, rocked, shells, hiding places... even gravel.

2) I had three fish and added three more (who ALL came from the same tank... so they were "used" to each other).

3) All of the fish purchased and blended were two inches long AND African Cichlids.

Guess what? I have two remaining fish. One is from the first batch, the other from the second batch. I had to dig for little fish bodies, because well... my fish are serial killers and HID the bodies (under a rock, in gravel, etc.) THEY ATE THEM, TOO! I feed these fish (and they eat what I feed them), but I guess that wasn't enough.

If I didn't believe in life (and saving money, too), I'd simply flush them down the toilet and send them to Little Fishy Heaven. I'm just biding my time, and waiting for them to duke it out. And next time, I won't count on a salesperson (no matter how expert he/she is!) to tell me all about the fishes of the sea (yeah, yeah... lake, river, stream... whatever).