The Lil Landfills

Hello and Happy Tuesday to all!

I have a great activity/experiment to share with you! We started today and I have to admit that I am a little scared because I have never done it before. And Squirrels are famous for their fear of the unknown!

Our whole week is themed around Earth Day and Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling.
We have talked about what happens to the trash in your trash can if it is not separated to be recycled.
Our goal here is to lessen the amount of trash we create and introduce the option of creating a compost pile/barrel.
(The Mr has a barrel for compost- bleck- when he does that occasional stir it's a pretty bad smell- but we have an awesome garden every year!!)

Here is our Landfill Experiment:

The pots represent the "landfill".

We added soil (cheap potting soil).

Then we added some items that we might see in our everyday trash.
This was very visual and animated!
I peeled the apple because most of them do not eat the peel. I 'cleared" my plate with the lettuce that I 'did not" eat. I was throwing out the baggie from lunch. And finally, the Styrofoam was from large Cherry Slush from Sonic that I picked up on the way home from work because Miss D was talking about it and I started craving one yesterday!

After our trash made it to the "landfill", we covered it back up with more soil.

We added a sprinkle of water, labeled our pots and set them aside.
We are going to put them outside of the door in the mornings, so that the heat can help with the process.
(We joked that our friends in school were going to think we were crazy for "planting" a plastic baggie tree!!)

So we aren't going to disturb any of the contents for one whole week.
Some of the predictions range from  "the apple will be whole again" to "the apple peel will be all gone"-

I am excited to see our results- and IF we don't see a HUGE difference in the composition of the peel and the lettuce we are going to keep the lil landfills going until we do!

The idea for this activity came from Celebrating Earth Day. (It was a few shelves over from the Backstreet Boys) :)

I have also created a  two VoiceThreads.
On one of them they are just sharing their thoughts on what we read in the book.
In the other they will use the pictures to describe to families what is going on and also they will be able to share their thoughts and predictions about what is going on in our little experiment!

We will keep you posted on what's going on in those pots!!!

WTH?!?! Wednesday

Dear Wednesday,
I regret to inform you that you no longer have the allure of "mid week" or "hump day" to this Squirrel. Spring Fever has Oh-fficially taken over. It no longer matters what day of the week it is. I apologize to have to be the one to tell you.
Better Luck in the Fall,
Squirrels


That my friends is a little excerpt from a compilation of letters that I have written to the Days of the Week. Saturday and Sunday will be the only ones happy to see the letter in their mailbox!!!

It was absolutely gorgeous here today!!! It was 85 when we got in the Shrek Mobile at the end of our day. EIGHTY FIVE! If I were the superintendent I would have closed the schools and declared it "Go Outside and Play Day!"
Is that already a "day"? It should be!!

We had a fabulous day of learning, thanks to Miss D! I have some pics of  their Social Studies lesson today- I can't wait to share that!
We are working on Maps and Globes this week in SS. Miss D needed that one extra something for a lesson so we headed to the library.
And we struck gold! She found exactly what she was looking for- yeah!
Take a look at what can be found if you go one shelf over and one shelf down......

WHY THE HECK do we have this book in our library????

It was there so of course we had to take the time to check it out!!
(Actually, we saw it during lunch and made a plan to go back while they were at specials to look at the book!!!)

We need a professional opinion!
I wonder if Swersty has this in her library?

There is a plethora of info in this book! You can find out where the rehab guy got his ink....
(I find it a bit ironic that his tattoo artist is surrounded by books).

We can also read about one of AJs favorite past times.....soakin' in the suds

I think if I had a favorite it was actually the smarmy one that looked like everyone's much older brother.

I really thought that there could not be a better find for the day on our little excursion... I was wrong!

Now we're talking!
Not as many pics though- I guess this falls more under the "informational text" category...

It defintely put a smile on our faces to see these in the selection pool! There is so much need-to-know info in these books.
I bet some of their deepest, darkest secrets are shared!!

Speaking of secrets.....
WHAT THE HECK is this neighbor hiding???

On our way home today we noticed that one of the houses a few streets over has a new mailbox. Normal boxes don't stand out - so we probably wouldn't have noticed....that is not normal!
What is he locking up in there?
Our mailman won't deliver our mail of there is car parked too close to the box. You mean that same guy is going to get out and unlock this box and put his Red Plum flyer and Coupon Mint Books inside so that no one can take them???
I have to know what is in that box!
We will be keeping a CLOSE eye on this neighbor for sure!!!

I leave you tonight with some sure signs of that Spring has "Sprung" in our neck of the woods....
A couple of serene moments in nature with:

THE TREES OF BEAUTY

and

THE TREES OF DEATH

Yes, Bradford Pears are my enemy this time of year!! My neighborhood is covered in them and there are several right outside my classroom door. (It even seems a little less sunnier where these evil trees live, doesn't it?)

Have a great Thursday!

Not-So-Lazy Sunday

Happy Sunday!
I hope the weather was wonderful wherever you were today!!! Take a look across the street from me...

The sky is blue.
The trees are blooming.
(even if it is a Bradford Pear and it stinks to high high Heaven- I just know the allergy attacks are on their way!!)

Yesterday and today were just gorgeous!

Both of the younger Littles have been outside playing and running and hiding and seeking and fighting and telling and snacking and fighting and telling and yelling and screaming and......
and hopefully they will be sleeping after too long!

I have been out there on and off today. Miss D and I planned very thoroughly on Friday so there was only prep to do today... We are making ourselves a center during math center time to do some testing on fluency.
They won't receive a grade, just seeing how close we are to mastery for some and to see how far a few of them have to go.

I tell you who should receive a grade today......ME!
A grade of A+++++++ for all of this cutting, laminating and NOW for the recut-
but it will be worth it!

This is part of the Fishing for Fluency pack that I will be cutting out during my Sunday DVR shows.

If you are looking for some fun fluency practice with numbers to 10 checkout these fun games/centers...

So I am off to cut and stack-
Here's hoping you have a great week!

Five for Friday {April 5}

Happy Friday!
Of course, I am linking up- I LOVE Five for Friday! Having a tiny peek at everyone's week is such fun!

1. This Friday there wasn't a  "Shrek Shadow" to be found.
Nope.
With the warmer weather coming in on top of our chilly night- we got to wake up to what we like to call
"Scooby Doo Fog"
(I am beginning to notice a cartoon-y theme for this family).

2. To go along with our Fishing for Fluency Activities, we did a Math Task about fishing.
I worked on  the display for it on and off for the last day and a half.
As other classes passed on their way to lunch, I kept hearing whispers that I was making Mario and Luigi.

That was not my intention at all. They were just supposed to be two buds hanging out fishing (they just happen to have the names of my Littles...maybe).

But I couldn't take it anymore. If everyone was expecting them to look more like the the Kings of Mario Kart, then so be it!

3.  HA HA!
And I am totally leaving it up there, too!

4. Our unit this week was on Magnets.
Here's a cool activity we did today.
They had to "feed the shark" by using the magnetic wand and pulling the food over.
The food was in the horrible non circular circle. It consisted of metal items and non metal items.
When they were finished they had to write about what they were able to feed him and what wouldn't move.
The penny stumped several of them!!! One of my arty smarty shoots his hand up and says "It must not have any iron in it because it didn't move!" {Puffy heart}
Fun. Fun!

5. I didn't take as many pics as I normally do this week. So I am going to share one of Chickadee from Easter morning.
Shhhhhh....Hers was sleepy....

#wherehasthetimegone

Well that does it for me tonight- Chickadee and I have a scary movie date night!!!!
Have a great night!

WTH?!?!?! Wednesday

What a Wednesday, Folks!

During the course of my day, there were a few "celebrations"- I celebrated in this order.

#1- It ain't Monday.
#2- It's a "no meeting" day.
#3- It's nice enough to go outside for recess.
#4- I didn't have to cook (or clean up) dinner.
#5- Took a trip to Starbucks after my "duty-free" dinner.

So in the time I have been awake (17 hours) I have, on average, had something to "celebrate" every three hours- not bad if you ask me.

But it wouldn't be a "WTH Wednesday" if everything ran as planned continually-
therefore......I begin.....


Remember I told you that we were going on a "Date Night"? I told you I would have a funny story.
(Heck, I'm Squirrels...I knew there would be a funny story before we ever even left the house.....stuff just always works out like that!)

So we were headed to Nash to see Seth Meyers (love him). The tickets were part of my birthday from The Mr.
We had a nice dinner and a few grown up beverages and headed over to see the show.

We were  "snug" in our seats ready for it to begin and it happened....

You know that "loud couple' that tends to be everywhere?...(no, it wasn't us)- but we heard them enter the theatre, and they were both just OBnoxious....

WHERE THE HECK do ya think they sat down?
Yep.
Right behind us.

I was sure they would quiet down when the show started. I was wrong.
She felt the need to say, "Oh, my gosh- that is hilarious!!!" after every joke!
Really?!!
Cause that's kind of his job.....he's supposed to be hilarious, or else people wouldn't have paid to see him.

So aggravating....

And since it was a grown up show, there were grown beverages sold there, too.
Half way through, we hear a BIG SP-LASH!!!! a few seats down from a woman who had already indulged a little too much.

Oh. No.

HOW THE HECK am I supposed to get past her without slipping in her "adult libation puddle" and dying in the process!?!?!?
I really could not focus on the jokes for a bit, I was too busy  trying to develop a NEW exit strategy, in the event of a potty emergency!!
So I had to "cut myself off". There was no way I could have made it!

The seating in the theatre is regular seating. Nothing super fancy. The seats are like the "old timey" ones. You know, the ones that the arms were stationary, the seat stayed down, and there weren't any cupholders.... (although I would feel much safer if there were)-
The Mr and I tend to "fill" our seats- and not like we used to, where we were all cuddlely- now it's just our own body parts that are taking up prime realty in those tiny cushioned seats.
Not much wiggle room.

So we are kinda postioned just that one way, with the occasional adjustment.

Between hearing the "Oh My Gosh- That is So  Hilarious" and listening to Miss I've- Had- Too- Much create a "death trap" at the end of our aisle, we had to endure the smell of someone's perfume.
It was a woman. (I think).
And it was bad enough that she  had marinated in it before she got to the show, she had to REAPPLY several times throughout the show.

WHO THE HECK does that?

So many things went through my head-
Maybe she thinks it's refreshing to the rest of us.
Maybe she has no sense of smell.
Maybe she's on a first date and she's trying to cover up a smell?
I don't know, I just know that it is too much!!

I was beginning to get a headache!

The show continues- no more Boobie Traps were set and not too many more Stink Bombs were deployed.
We make it out to the valet to wait for van and I decided to get out my phone and check on the Littles.
(The Mr. had been keeping tabs on them up til that point).

 We are standing out in the cold and I smell her....I am guessing that we are very close now to the Stinky Sprayer!!!
I was going to let my nose do the detective work....as soon as I checked on the Littles.

So I reach in and, this is strange, the inside of my purse is wet.
"Wait, I didn't spill any drinks... let me get under the light...."

Look what I found with the lid off....

HAHAHAHAHAH!

Yes. It's what you think it is.
I'M STINKY SPRAYER!!!!

My best guess is that while The Mr and I are packed in like sardines with my purse between us, the lid came off.
And everytime we "adjusted" to get a little more comfy- WE were causing the pump to press against the inside of the purse.

So ALL those "bursts" of perfume we were getting - was coming from us!

After thinking about it,

WHY THE HECK did we not recognize the smell??? It was the SAME perfume that I was wearing!?!?!

Nothing in the purse was ruined. That was a positive.
The part that makes me laugh the most is, as much as it was bugging us- the wind had to have caught it blown it straight up to "Miss Hilarious"!!!
Karma. Gotta love it.

I leave you tonight with thoughts for sweet dreams. Why the heck can't we sleep that soundly?

Have a great Thursday!