oh baby...

...it's cold outside!

Yes, that thermometer says -10 F, and it's not measuring the windchill.
brrrrrr....

We have been a bit stir crazy around here, if you can imagine.
{It's supposed to be colder tomorrow, too.}

To blow off steam, we've been doing some Brain Gym exercises.
I'm not even close to being an expert on Brain Gym,
but I do know that it's healthy for your brain
to do activities where you cross the midline of your body.
{The children love doing them, too!}

This one is called cross crawl.
Lift your knee and reach across
to touch it with your opposite hand.
Repeat with your other knee and hand...
almost like you're walking in place.
Want to make it more challenging?
Try doing it with your eyes shut!

This one is called hook ups,
but we call it the pretzel.
Put the backs of your hands together.
Then, reach your right hand over your left
and lock your fingers together.
Bend your elbows and twist your hands up against your chest.
More challenge?
Cross your legs, too!

It's perfect to do at line time
because it improves your concentration.
I always tell children they can put their hands
in their laps, on their knees, or in the pretzel.
They usually choose the pretzel. :)

I added a weather widget to the right column of the blog,
so you can see just how cold we are!
Right now, it says -29 F.
Yikes!
Frost is growing on our bedroom wall...

busy hands

lacing a construction paper stocking

ta da!

numerals and counters
{holiday edition}

pouring red and green rice

poking holes with a corn cob holder

constructing a maze
{with the red rods}

carefully walking out of the maze
{Ring the bell when you get to the center!}

sweeping sequins
These little shimmery disks get spilled A LOT!
{Good thing they're fun to pick up!}

gift wrapping 101

As you probably already know,
I LOVE practical life lessons.

For one thing, there is a never-ending supply
of practical skills that one can learn.
{We're never short on inspiration when it comes
to putting together PL lessons for the children.}
Another thing I find fabulous about these lessons
is that they give the children so much independence!

My lovely co-teacher Christy came up with this
present wrapping lesson
that debuted in our classroom this week.

The children think it's genius.

First, a child chooses an ornament.
You can't tell from the photo,
but there's a variety of boxes and wrapping paper squares
for her to choose from, too.

The child carries the materials she will need
{ornament, box, wrapping paper, scissors, tape}
on a tray to a table.

Then, the wrapping begins.

The children have been very successful
with the taping...

and with the folding, too!

After the present is wrapped,
the child places it under a wreath in our classroom.
{We're hoping to acquire a tree soon!}
At line time, the children take turns unwrapping the presents
and hanging the ornaments on the wreath.
{We're using a list of names to keep it fair - VERY important!}

What has impressed me the most about this lesson
is the problem solving skills I've observed the children using.
This child is carefully cutting off the excess paper...

and this child is adding paper.
Having too much or not enough wrapping paper
is a problem that most gift wrappers encounter, right?
{I love seeing the different ways the children deal with it!}

At first, some of the children were frustrated that they couldn't
bring their carefully wrapped presents home...
but now, they've actually embraced the idea
of giving a gift to their classroom!

Hopefully, they'll take these skills home
and wrap presents for their friends and families, too!

dressing a snowman

Introducing our new felt board friend...

His snowball circles, mittens, scarf, and hat are cut from felt.
{I added the details to the mittens and hat with fabric paint.}
His eyes are beads and his mouth is a bent pipe cleaner.
His arms are tiny twigs from the playground.
His buttons are from a lovely button stash.
And, oh!, I wish I could tell you where his mini carrot nose is from,
but I honestly have no idea.
{It's small enough to be dollhouse food.}

The snowman is fun, but this spinner is the best part.
{The idea for this came from Melissa at Chasing Cheerios.}
I made mine on a circle of white paper, glued to a circle of red paper.
I sketched the quirky little pictures and laminated it
along with a little red arrow made from paper.
I pushed a brad through the center of the circle,
and used a hole punch to cut a circle in the arrow.
{It spins pretty easily!}

The child spins the arrow...

...and outfits the snowman accordingly.
Whether it was done individually or with a partner,
the snowman was dressed over and over all day!

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season!

busy hands

sorting objects by their beginning sounds
a, f, c, m, p

turkey matching

grading colors
from darkest to lightest

apple slicing

making a Montana animal book