Slice of Life Day Seven: 3 Favorite Things About Morning.

This year my One Little Word is Abide. 

When I think about abiding, I think about moments like my early morning routine:

A thought from this morning's reading:  "God's grace is for the heart.  That is very good news."

A warm cup of coffee.  

He's a little grumpy in this picture because I put my hand on his paws to keep him from licking them.  (We've got meds, wipes, etc.  #highmaintenancepuppy)

But he snuggles the most in the morning.  

This year, I gave up trying to get out the door before 5 to exercise.  That was a good move for me.  I save that for the evening time, it allows for a more peaceful start to the day. 

Joy!

Kendra

Slice of Life Day Six: Choice in the Classroom

Since I've taken on my new-er classroom, I've explored projects, play and choice.  A Lot. 

My favorite attempt was to completely open all the choices in the classroom during December and watch what happened.  In the end, I would say it didn't work.  But I loved trying. 

It went like this:

• I would teach/We would discuss a mini lesson.   
• There is usually some independent that is required around these lessons.  
• After they completed their independent practice, they were free.  Want to construct with Legos?  Cool.  Art project?  You bet.  
• After watching them in December, I noticed it was just very hard for some kids to engage even at all.  So I went back to dividing up the morning and the afternoon with a few parameters.  

Why just a few parameters?  

Because I really believe in choice for kids.  My own kids love to construct, research, try things out.  They have learned some amazing things this way.  I knew I wanted this spirit of autonomy in my classroom.  

So I fashioned a menu for the kids to use when they are deciding what they would like to work on.  Here's one we've been using recently in the afternoon:

These activities are selected based on student interest and topics we are covering in class.  Because of my students this year, I really only have these guidelines:

• Choose what you want to work on.
• Stay with it.  Try to work the whole time.
• Are you done?  Check in with Mrs. Limback, let's pick something new together!

Guidelines, because my class is great at a lot!  Currently, We are learning how to use persistence to stick with tasks for an amount of time.  

Some books I love on creativity, choice, play, basically all the joy in teaching and learning:

How do you promote choice in the classroom?  

Joy!
Kendra

Slice of Life Day Five: What I'm Loving to Read.

Sometimes on Mondays I will link up over here to share what I've been reading. 

But in the spirit of completing all 31 days of the SOL challenge, I'm trying to stay on one website these days friends.  You understand. 

I'm also participating in Must Read in 2018.

Here is what is currently being read toward this goal:

  

I am loving this book.  But I'm nervous, I set a goal to read 40 books this year.  My 9 year old talked me into it because I turned 40 last fall.  So far in January and February I've not felt the greatest.  (Some years this happens...)  It's made it hard to feel like I'm staying caught up on this goal.

My First Graders are participating in March Book Madness. 


Oh my stars.  We read this book today.  And I love it.  I'm pretty sure I was Thunder Boy Junior growing up.  I loved how this book ended and the relationship between Junior and Senior.  (And a spoiler...my first graders voted for this one in the first round!)



Finally, I love this devotional read.  It has just enough to chew on to get me thinking.  Yet, it's not pretentious.  My favorite quote so far:

"The DNA of Joy is Thankfulness."

Joy!
Kendra

Slice of Life Day Four: A Teacher Needs to Eat.

Happy Sunday!  How was your weekend?  Lots of resting and gearing up for this week before spring break! 

On Sundays this year, I had been pausing and reflecting on how my family eats together.  It's part of the culture of our family, and I wanted to share some things that have been working for us. 

First, let's start with all these milks.  Yes, about each week we buy 3 different kinds of milk.  I wanted to show you this, because if you are struggling with dietary needs yourself, or with your family, I have come to this conclusion:

Just get what your family needs.  

Our family does best when some people are drinking cow's milk, some do best with rice milk, and some do best with almond milk.  It just works for us.  

It's a little weird.  I know.

But it works for us.  Don't be afraid to do that for your family. 

Also, if you live in Iowa, a little statement:  Hy-Vee was the grocery store that we really settled into when we were buying for food allergies.  The health market was such a blessing, and there was enough variety to get us started.  (Commercial over.)

But sometimes we miss certain foods...

I Love Chinese take out.  But the youngest is getting old enough to realize that we buy different things that he can't eat.  And it bothers him from time to time.  Because we are his family, we eat dinner that he can eat with us 99% of the time.  And that means we had to figure out what we could eat in regards to Chinese take out.  Because we love it, and we knew we could make it work.  

Enter:  Homemade Orange Chicken.  

The original link to the recipe I started with is here.

I started by switching out the chicken.  

I baked this Tyson's popcorn chicken in our oven, following the package directions.  I did that because Li'l T can eat these and I'm a lazy girl sometimes in the kitchen.  

While this was cooking in the oven, I stirred together equal parts honey barbecue sauce and orange marmalade.  I let this simmer on the stove top about 20 minutes.  

When everything was done cooking, I tossed it together in a glass bowl.  

I also cooked some brown rice, and served everything up!  

Health food?  Definitely not.  

But it cured our need to eat Chinese take out.  

The secret to food allergies?  Find out what you can do.  It makes being in the kitchen a lot more fun!  

Read more about our journey here.   I'm happy to answer questions about our experiences if that is helpful.  

Joy!
Kendra

Slice of Life Day Three: My Favorite Classroom Management Strategy

Hi All!

I've been thinking about kids.  All kids.  How do we build relationships with ones who are fragile learners, and how do we build relationships with students that may be harder to connect with? 

Because here is the deal, we are called to teach those children everyday.  It's a high calling.  We do not just want kids to survive school, we want them to thrive while they are there. 

This article talks about the 2X10 strategy as an effective way to promote a positive connection with students that may be harder to connect with.  The premise:  spend 2 minutes each day in discussion with the student for at least 10 days in a row. 

If you do a search on reflections and research around this strategy, you will find that there is usually an upswing in positive behaviors and connections.

For me?  I learn so much about my students when I spend time talking with them.  I have one student this year that I am usually meeting at the door when we both arrive.  As the student is unpacking, I use that time to listen and talk with them.  In that time, I've learned about when they are sleeping and when they aren't, if their dog ate their favorite toy, what toys they have in their backpacks, and what they are eating for lunch or breakfast. 

So much important information to learn from just two minutes.  It has made me more gracious as an educator.  A child's story matters. 

When you take the time to hear a child's story, you are learning such important information so that you will be able to help them in the classroom as well. 

What intentional strategies do you love for connecting with kids?

Joy!
Kendra

Slice of Life Day Two: Let's Party!

Hi Friends!  Head over to https://adayinthelifeof19b.blogspot.com/ where Leigh Anne is and see what the party is all about.  I love that I learn so much about each of you when I participate in this writing.

And I knew that starting a Slicing journey with Friday as day two, I had planned a party-esque post.  So here we go.

Favorite book:  This is a hard one of course.  Just one?   Okay.  I'm going with Refugee by Alan Gratz.  This was one of my last books read in 2017, and I still think about it.  Such a powerful read.  

Favorite person:  I've got people.  I affectionately call them Doris.  (But there are two of them.)  Amy and Tia bring wit and wisdom and and Joy with them everywhere they go.  I'm so glad they are my people and they are coming too, because a few things are going to happen.  You are going to learn and be reminded of how much you are loved.  You are going to laugh.  Loudly.  You are going to learn something you haven't learned before.  

Favorite food or beverage:  It's Fish fry season people.  I'll bring you some Hush puppies from the catholic church across town.  I really wanted to just get a plate of hush puppies last week.  But that would have been weird.  I'll also bring you some fish tacos and a cider beer to wash it down.  

Favorite song:  Ooh.  Another hard one.  In my family we are a dancing in the kitchen kind of people.  On heavy rotation right now is, I Just Need U by TobyMac.  What's funny is my 13 year old has started to bring up songs at just the time I need to hear them.  He's so cool.  

Surprise:  I'm bringing you all a puppy.  A well-trained, playful when you want him to be, but cuddly when you need that too, puppy.  

Let's Party!  If you decide to participate let me know!  I would love to see what you bring! 
Joy!
Kendra

Slice of Life Day One: Here are My Plans

So.  I mapped out my writing plan for the month. 

And then it promptly changed. 

That pretty much sums up the past few years. 

I'll make some plans.  And they promptly change. 

And then.  A wise friend said this to me just last week, "I just stopped.  And I turned it all over to God to see where He would take me." 

And you know what?  She is doing some really Cool things. 

I believe in that kind of stuff.  I believe that her turning over some things and the Cool things that came of it are related. 

It's like a wild ride really.  And I think I want to be on it. 

This video clip?  Hit me like bricks when we were watching this movie the other night.  The part where Morgan Freeman, AKA God, is straight up laughing at the plans that Steve Carrell's character has made.  

I'm pretty sure God laughs at me that way.  In a loving, you have no idea what you are doing kind of way.  

It's cool.  Because I'm stubborn.  I want to do well.  I want to achieve.  

But God?  Here are the plans.  You take them.  

Joy!
Kendra