a little metamorphosis...

We have been learning all about insects.  Our caterpillars have been growing and changing right before our eyes.  Of course they chose the weekend to finally create their cocoons, they always do!  So in preparation of what I knew the students would miss we watched this:

These are the same caterpillars that we have in our room, which made watching the video even more amazing to the kiddos!  I am happy to report that as of now all 10 caterpillars have successfully made it to the pupa stage!  Woo Hoo!  Last year we lost a couple during this critical transition!

Enjoy the below pictures of our caterpillars as they have grown and changed:

I can hardly wait for us to watch as they emerge as butterflies (just don't let them all emerge on the weekend, please!) 

To make our study of insects even more enjoyable we enjoyed this great yoga story when it was too chilly and windy to go outside last week... love watching the kids do yoga, adorable!

If you haven't done Cosmic Kids yoga with your little one's yet it is a MUST!  Perfect for an indoor recess day!  My kiddos beg for yoga.  I love that they are moving their bodies and listening to a story.  

Hope you had a marvelous weekend, I have!  My daughter and I went bike shopping (she just graduated from her training wheels, yep, she rode her bike without training wheels for the first time this weekend!  I said my weekend was marvelous!)  Now she and I can hit the town on our new bikes, she being so big and all!  Spring in Southern Utah is heavenly.  I only wish the weather were this nice in the summer time when I have time to fully enjoy it.  By the time summer hits it will be 110 degrees and I will want to seek refuge in my air conditioned home!  Every summer we have a day when the power goes out or the A/C unit ices over and I wonder how people lived here before electricity!  uggh!  I guess we better get our bike riding in while we still can!  I love it!  

Life Cycles...

These arrived yesterday at lunch!  We start our insect unit on Monday so their timing was PERFECT!

When I left school they looked like this:

See those teeny tiny caterpillars?  Well when I got to school this morning they had doubled in size...

I can't wait to see what they will look like on Monday.  I love watching our caterpillars change as much as the kiddos do!

Here is a sneak peak of one of my favorite life cycle activities:

Pasta Life Cycles!  It is a MUST!  Just dye your pasta using rubbing alcohol and food coloring, let it dry, and voila!  Colorful pasta for your life cycle worksheet!  We will be doing this next Friday and I cannot wait!

Watching something living change and grow right before your eyes is magical, I love this time of year more than anything!  It is such an exciting time for the kids!

Easter Break!

I spent most of my evening at the school... getting ready to go back tomorrow.  

I rushed out the door with the kiddos on Thursday!  Family was on their way into town, my 6 year old had a soccer game, it was Easter and I just needed to get OUT!  I paid the price tonight... ugh!  Centers to switch out, tables to scrub, homework to check and new packets to put together!  Whew.  I showed up to the school at 6 and didn't leave until after nine!  The life of a teacher.  

This nice long weekend was our last break before SUMMER! I loved every second of it!  

We played soccer...

hunted eggs...

rode the carousel...

played at the park...

visited the Arts Festival...

got a visit from the Easter Bunny...

went to church...

in our bunny ears...

and colored eggs!

It was a perfect weekend with beautiful weather!  The kids got to play and play and play with their cousins, which always makes my heart happy!  I loved every minute!

When I got to the school tonight as I tried to wrap my head around the return to reality tomorrow morning I saw this:

The kiddos are gonna FREAK!  I can't wait for them to see how much their plants have grown.

It is going to be a great day!

Farewell Spring Break...

I am in a bit of denial that my Spring Break is over, real life has been hard to adjust to after waking up and falling asleep to the ocean every day for 6 days.  I could go back tomorrow!  I have decided listening to waves crash and smelling salty sea air is my happy place!  Hubby and I had a wonderful, relaxing vacay!  It was the perfect way to celebrate 10 amazing years together!

I spent a HUGE part of our trip HERE with my feet up, staring at the ocean outside my room, reading a book.  HEAVEN!  As a mom of 3 little kidlets and a full time teacher I don't have enough time in my life to just sit and read, I love love love having little kids but I have days when I am excited for that someday when they will be big and I will have time to just sit and read, no interruptions!

My other happy spots were:

I may be obsessed with watching the ocean, that happens when you have grown up in a land locked state.  So, now that the the trip is over... (insert sad sigh) I am freaking out that summer is right around the corner!  Eeek!  I have so much to do to get these kiddos ready for first grade!  But mark my words, they WILL be ready!

The next few weeks we are studying plants.  This week we planted our root garden and our grass seeds!

Won't those be adorable when their 'hair' (grass seed) begins growing!  I love them!

We have also started filling out our science journals, I love my cute little scientists!

After our plant unit we begin insects!  I am ordering our caterpillars on Thursday!  The kidlets FREAK out watching our caterpillars change and grow into butterflies.  I can hardly wait.

Oh I love teaching in the SPRING!

Dental Health

We spent last week talking about Dental Health!  I love this week with the kiddos.

The kids in white t-shirts are the teeth, the other two kiddos are the flossers (see the white string in their hands) It is such a great way to teach the kids how to floss!

We kicked it off with a visit from Dr. Cody and his team.  They do such a great job!
(He is my kiddos pediatric dentist)

 Later we completed a science experiment on how plaque reacts with sugar.  Hopefully the kidlets realized just how important it is to limit your sugary snacks.

(don't you love them in their cute science eyes, it is one of my favorite things!)

We wrote about how many teeth we have lost and made a GIGANTIC graph to hang in the hallway!

They kiddos came home with toothbrushes, floss, toothpaste, brushing charts and hopefully a renewed desire to take extra good care of their teeth.

Next week is all about weather!  I love this time of year, all my favorite units are in the second half of the year!  Spring break is the second week of March and then plants, insects, dinosaurs, and ocean/desert animals!  whew!  Kindergarten Graduation will be here before I know it!

Read Across America

Happy Read Across America Day!  We spent the day learning about Dr. Seuss!