Hello!

Sorry I've been MIA lately! We've been so busy this month... lots going on in room 115. :)

Backing up to... Groundhog Day
We read Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather and then made our own predictions about what the famous groundhog would discover. We also did a bit of research on the groundhog; he has been making weather predictions for over 122 years!

The next day, we watched the "big reveal" with Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania... and those of us who voted for 6 more weeks of winter were proven correct. (Judging by the snow that has been falling off and on lately, Phil knows his stuff!)

Valentines

We've been collecting empty milk jugs the last few weeks to make our Valentine holders, The kids got to choose from a bear, dinosaur, or cat template in which to create their containers. After decorating the animals and gluing them to the milk jugs, we set them out to wait for our Friendship Party.

They all turned out so cute!

Can You Tell What We've Been Learning?

Adjectives

We've been working on adding more details to our stories. One way we can do this is by adding adjectives. The kids came up some great ones!

Back to Reality

I loved our winter break SO much! But, I'm happy to be back to a routine. I like schedules, procedures, and order. :) Speaking of routines, does your family have a homework routine? Good study skills can make a big difference in school performance, and it's important to start building good habits now.

Here are a few tips to establish a successful routine:

1. Find a quiet, comfortable place. This needs to be a place away from distractions like television, computer, and so forth.

2. Have materials ready. It might be fun to decorate a box or basket to keep materials neat and orderly. Some supplies that should be available are: pencils, erasers, crayons, scissors glue.

3. Have a set time to do homework. Finding a consistent time can be challenging with soccer, basketball, dance lessons, etc. However, make an attempt to complete homework about the same time every day. Your child will probably be tired when he/she comes home from school and would benefit from a snack and short break to recharge his/her batteries before tackling homework. Using a timer is helpful if you have a child that struggles with time management. Kids with shorter attention spans may need to do half of the assignment, take a break, then complete the rest. Of course, getting a good night's rest is vital! Complete the homework early in the evening if possible. Have your child pack his/her backpack and be ready for school long before bedtime. This will lower the chances of panic and chaos in the morning!

4. Be involved! Check the Monday Folders every Monday. Examine the weekly homework, review schoolwork that has been sent home, and talk with your child about their day! :) Some of the homework assignments may require your assistance and involvement. It's my belief that the time spent establishing routines now, will pay off in the future!

5. Encourage your child to do his/her very best. In 2nd grade, the purpose of homework is to help your child develop organizational skills, learn responsibility, and reinforce skills we're learning at school. If your child has tried their best, and is still having trouble completing the assignment in a reasonable amount of time, please let me know!

Want some more ideas on how to help your child with homework?

Helping with Homework

Helpful tips from the US Department of Education.

We Survived!

Happy New Year! 

I'm already messing up... I wrote 2011 on our daily schedule! I wonder how long it will take to get in a new habit?

In case you had any doubts, we made it through the first day back! I really didn't want to go back today. Not because I don't *love* what I do... but I was really enjoying sleeping in, scrapbooking, and hanging out in my jammies. :)

It was great to see the kiddos Tuesday morning! They started out very slow and sluggish (and complaining about how tired they were) but they warmed up in the afternoon. They were pretty chatty in the afternoon; I think they missed each other!

I'm looking forward to our "fresh start" with the new year and all that we have planned for 2012. 

Holiday Concert

What a wonderful group of kids! They were amazing at the performance for the teachers and students. They've been working so hard in music... and it payed off!

I was very proud of our 2nd grade performers.