Countdown is on...

Happy summer Firstie Nation fans!  This teacher is starting to bite her nails a bit.   While I absolutely adore school and my new batch of senate members...I  LOVE being a stay at home mom during the summer.  My home babies bring me such joy!  As we speak I have three of said babies hooked to my hip.  As the school year approaches it is a bit like the dreaded end of a maternity leave.  I don't want to leave them!  When the new year gets here, I will be fine....to busy to even think!  

The nation will be moving this year!  Room 106 will no longer house the great Nation of First, but don't worry, the new capital will be even better!  (And it has a red wall!  Sigh!)

Upcoming goals...
Assemble the new Firstie Nation
Goal by December 31st. to run 2015 miles.  (Currently over 1000)
On the look out for pretty shoes and dresses.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Bus oak up those rays, and as always...don't forget to be AWESOME!
President Varpness

Who's That Masked Wolf?

Firstie Nation followers, the weather is changing!  Yea!  So glad that the wind seems to be pushing spring in..not SNOW!

Spring...is that a wishful fairy tale?  A Cinderella story?
Speaking of fairy tales...the senate members have been learning about elements of Fairy Tales.  They have learned all about most fairly tales have the opening of "Once Upon a Time", magic or enchantment, a good character, a wicked character, and a "happily ever after."  With all our fun in fairy tales, we decided it would be fun to run a little experiment "The Three Little Pigs" style.
The senate members...

• built a house of straw (cotton balls)
• built a house of sticks (marshmallows)
• built a house of bricks (Legos)

The Wolves (senate members)...

• huffed and puffed and tried to blow each of the houses down.

Want to know what happened?  Ask a senate member for that answer!

The Nation kiddos LOVED this experiment!  I think they loved coloring the mask most of all.  They had a blast blowing things over with their wolf breath!

Read Across America Day

Hey Firstie Nation!  Today was a great day in the capital!  The annual Read Across America Day!
Some of the Reading All-Stars came in to read to the senate members.

 Mrs. Lee read the story "Dog Breathe"

 Mr. Fenske read one of our all time favorites, "Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes"

Mr. Lienemann read "Olivia."

He also mentioned this story reminded him of a first grader, because they never get tired out!

Our favorite high school helper Jacob!

Jacob read "Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons"

 My favorite second grader!

"My Lucky Day" her favorite book!

 A couple of super cute 10th graders, with great smiles!

"There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Chick"

My favorite seventh grader!

"Fluffy and Baron"

My favorite part about Read Across America Day is the posters I asked the Firstie Nation parents to make for their senate member.  I asked them to design a poster for their child to "READ" on our special day.  I asked them to fill up the page and make it fit their firstie...and boy did they!

DRUM ROLL...

My girl!

Do ya dig our shirts?  We bought these 52 years ago and they still make us look really good!

We had a great day...per usual!

Stay warm and get ready for the storm?

BE AWESOME!
President Varpness and the Senate

Beach Party 2015!

Whoot!  Whoot!  Beach Party 2015!  Holla!
The Nation got beachy with it on Friday, February 25th!  Each day the senate gets $3.00 for their good behavior!  They get to keep their hard earned cash if they follow the rules of the nation.
Said rules...
1.  Follow directions quickly.
2.  Raise your hand for permission to speak.
3.  Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat.
4.  Make smart choices.
5.  Keep your dear teacher happy.

At the end of the week, the senate members get to purchase items for the classroom catalog.  They can buy special treats, line jumping privileges, seat swaps, sit at the teacher's desk, lunch with the teacher, lunch with a bud and the all time favorite, STINKY FEET!  (Not this girl's favorite.)

One of the featured treats in the February catalog was a BEACH PARTY!  For a whopping $500 bucks!  Well, it took the senate about two days to count up $500 big ones and then the beach party was booked!  The following pictures are the before and after of the great shin-ding!  BLAST!

 5 minutes later...

Little Bears at the Beach pudding snack!

Such a fun day!  This teacher was ti.red!
I wonder what will pop up in the March catalog?  Nap time?

Little Things...

Valentine's Day came and went in a flash!  Can you believe that March is just minutes away from us? Unbelievable.  This teacher wishes for more time...

BOO!

I had a classy teacher, adult moment yesterday and this is how karma paid me back!

I was at this very window yesterday, when I saw that it appeared blustery out...YUCK!  Snow blowing everywhere!  So, because I am the mature adult of 29ish age...I said,

"BOO!"  "SNOW!  BOO!"

Which led to 17 little faces pressed up to said window, all chanting "BOO!"  

(I will admit that I laughed out loud!)

So today...

our ground looks like this!

Ish.  Double thumbs down! Boo!

#lessonlearned

#snowstinks

We Love Us Some Tacky!!!

Hey there Firstie Nation!  I hope everyone still has the New Year's resolution and kicking some backside on it!  Me...well, if you noticed...my last blog was Jan. 8th...so...no, my resolution is kicking my backside instead.   But...I do not give up that easy, so here is a little cutie activity that my senate members created.
The senate LOVES the Tacky books!  If you do not know who Tacky is...you better ask a Firstie in the Nation!!!

"Tacky is an odd bird, but a good bird to have around!"

As usual...we dumped the scrap bucket...and here's what showed up!  LOVED. IT!  They decorated the large Tacky as well.  (hee, hee)

Today is AWESOME!!!  Tomorrow will be too!!!
President Varpness and the Senate

Frozen in the Nation of First!

Happy New Year everyone!  I am so sorry I have been MIA!  Can't blame anyone but myself!  Breathe Billie...breathe...
                                                                       
Here is one of the best things I taught in the year 2014!  The senate came to win it during this lesson.
I read the story "The Gingerbread Pirates."  Our focus was vocabulary words and sequencing.

Do you know what a cutlass is?  The senate does!!!!  I gave them each a paper gingerbread man and let them create a pirate.  I dumped out he scrap bucket, threw out some almost empty glitter glue sticks and let them get after it.  I.WAS.AMAZED!  This couldn't have turned out better if I tried!!!!! When they were done, they could work together to make their own pirate ship.  I only, rounded the bottom...the rest was the senate.

Stay warm, as you can Firstie Nation!  Brrrr.....