Last week wiggles...

Anybody else getting the "It's almost break wiggles?"  My kiddos sure are! (Oh yea- and me too!)  It never fails... the last 2 weeks before intersessions, everyone is getting tired, restless, and ready for break.  Makes it hard to get in quality learning...so I've had to get pretty creative to keep their attention **Plus like half of mine can't sit still for the life of them to begin with, I mean, I guess I shouldn't really expect them to, they're second graders, right?**  

We just finished working on time which is seriously one of the HARDEST things for students to learn.  I'll admit, their sense of time is still not the greatest, but they're getting there.  I'm trying to get them to get a better sense of time by asking them to do things like:

*At 12:00 I'll ask them to start clicking their tongue when we have 5 minutes left until lunch- so I would hear some tongue clicking around 12:20.. *Or just randomly throughout the day, I'll give them a specific time or amount of time and ask them to do some kind of movement/sound like snapping fingers, whistling, jumping in place.  

I think my little creative way of sneaking in some time is beginning to work, but I guess we will see!  My hope is that it helps give them a better sense of what 5 minutes feels like, vs 25, vs an hour etc. :) 

Since we've only got one week left before intersession and I'd really love to practice time, I thought about trying this great idea I got from Techie Teacher Time!  How flipping awesome is this...

I don't know about anyone else who teaches time, but my kids keeping getting their hands mixed up.  Drives me CRAZY!!  But..... if they get to BE the clock, maybe it will help them remember.  My only thought about this is that I have kids who will be so so so impatient and probably spinning around on the floor, so maybe I'd add a dry erase clock into the mix and have each student around the outside represent the time on their clocks.. then they get a sense of what it looks like on an actual clock.  Wohoo! I'm super duper excited about this and I'll let y'all know how it goes.  The best part is after we use it as a whole class- it can turn into one of our Math Workshop Stations. Double Yes!

Only 16 days until Christmas.  Can you believe it?  It seems like 2012 flew by like it was nobody's business.  Living in NC, it's a bit harder to get into the Christmas spirit when its 75 degrees outside and you are used to it being 30.  My house all decked out helps me though :)  I love to sit in here, turn on my fake fireplace, drink some hot cocoa, and just relax! I love this time of year!  I'll even get to have the snow for Christmas because I'm heading back up to NY to be with family and keep my dad company.  He's stuck at home for the next 4 months with a pole and screws in his knee and ankle after getting hit by a car while conducting traffic after a Christmas parade (he's a police office).  He is totally not used to just sitting around so it's been pretty hard on him, but at least he'll have some company for a little while :).

Before I sign off, wanted to make sure you head of to Tips for Top Teachers to enter their giveaway for lots of goodies, including a NOOK COLOR HD! Don't miss out.  No chance if you don't enter!