We are Bucket Fillers! 

When we fill our classroom bucket, we have a special day!  The kids chose Pajama day! YAY!

Look at our Mystery Guest Readers for October!

One of our favorites THE GREAT PUMPKIN

Another favorite story There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves

Toys that Teach

Toy: Play-Doh Teach: Buried Treasure

Andrea Knight 2012, TPT 

Lesson: This writing lesson is about creating ideas and making the realization that our lives are important enough to write about.  This lesson is one of the first lessons that first graders learn in Narrative Writing.  First Step: I showed the students a plain lump of Play-Doh and asked them to share what they've made with it before.  

Second Step: I asked them to turn and talk, all while I was fiddling with the Play-Doh.  Step Three: After they finished sharing, I showed them what I made.  I explained how I started with just something plain and that I wasn't sure what I would make but I like the way it turned out.  Step Four:  We discussed how writers do the same thing with paper and pencil.  We start with plain paper and we play with WORDS, and we uncover a TREASURE---their story!  

Writing treasured stories

Students creating ideas to write about

 

Spreading the Power of Optimism

Life is not perfect.  Life is not easy.  Life is good.

This year we are exploring the themes presented in the book, Life is Good, written by Bert and John Jacobs.

As Bert and John Jacobs write, "Each one of us has a choice:  to focus our energy on obstacles or opportunities.  To fixate on our problems, or focus on solutions.  We can harp on what's wrong with the world (see most news media), or we can cultivate what's right with the world.  What we focus on grows.  

That's why the Life is Good community shares one simple, unifying mission:  to spread the power of optimism.

Optimism is not irrational cheerfulness or "blind" positivity.  It's a pragmatic strategy for approaching life.  Optimism empowers us to explore the world with open arms and an eye toward solutions, progress, and growth.  It also makes life a lot more fun!

Optimism enables us to access the ten most important tools we have for living a happy and fulfilling life.  We call them the Life is Good Superpowers.  But unlike X-ray vision, bullet speed, or Herculean strength, they are accessible to us all.  The Life is Good Superpowers can help you overcome obstacles, drive forward with greater purpose, and enjoy the ride of life."

                                    

During the month of September we introduced Superpower #1, Openness.

Openness is a conscious effort to step outside of your comfort zone to experience new things.   

Three Ways to Stay Open

The following suggestions are taken from the Life is Good book, which I highly recommend putting on your reading list:

Follow the Leader-  The next time you sit down with your child, imagine your child is your teacher.  Let her tell you about the drawing or the toy, or where the story goes next.  Let her show you her view of the world, in her own words.  Follow her lead.  Be willing to be silly, and let go of trying to direct.  You ask the "Whys?" and discover the world as she directs the kid in you.

"Yes, And."-  Try using this phrase wherever you work or meet in groups.  Invite people to share their wildest ideas up front and encourage the group to take each one for a spin, accepting and building on it.  The filtering and editing down can happen later, but this first crucial step creates an open environment of collaboration that sparks innovation.  In your personal life, "Yes, and" will help foster a more adventurous, creative approach as well.

Everything is a Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience- Get out and see the world!  We're not necessarily talking adventure travel or long road trips.  If you don't go, you don't see can also apply to your neighbor's home, a live show, a place you've been meaning to volunteer at, or the contemporary art exhibit you're not quite sure is for you.  Changing up your routine and physical surroundings will help open your mind to fresh perspectives.

The bottom line is that it takes a conscious effort to step outside of your comfort zone to experience new things.  Whenever you take that step, you're good to grow!

In the month of October we will continue to foster Openness while introducing

 the Superpower of Creativity!