Stinky Choices and Growing Kindness

If you are reading this, THANK YOU for sticking around. I cannot believe it has been so long since my last post. I think I just was in a funk. I am going to really try and do a better job about blogging. I guess part of me still worries about whether I have anything worthy to blog about.

I love hearing my class talk about Our School Family. Well, the brothers and sisters in Our School Family have been getting a little fussy with each other. So I wanted to take our job of the Kindness Recorder and do something special with it.

This is one of my favorite jobs. The Kindness Recorder looks for kind acts to add a kind flower to our flower pot.

The Kindness Recorder will tell the person who did or said the kind thing

 I am going to add you a kind flower for ________________.

The person it is being added for answers

Thank you for noticing that.

So, I thought we needed to grow some more kindness and trash our stinky, unkind choices. We were going to get some help from Freddy the Friendly Frog.

I forgot to take a picture of Freddy but here are some realistic frogs you could use. The one I have is from Wal-Mart and a little bigger than these. =)

{source}

{updated}

Here is the letter we got from Freddy. I forgot to take a picture of the package and all of the goodies.  =(

We needed to start by talking about trash and how no one wants to be around it because it stinks. No one likes to play around trash . If you hang around trash, you might start to stink too. Would you rather be around flowers or trash?

We then talked about how our behavior can be stinky even though we have a kind heart...no one might notice it over the smell of our stinky choices.

Next, it was time to sort the cards Freddy the Friendly Frog left us. We sorted our cards by whether it was something that someone with a kind heart would do or something that a person who was making a stinky choice would do.

In the picture it says stinky heart but in the packet it says stinky choice. I forgot to take the picture after I changed it.

We talked about stinky choices that others had made that hurt and wrinkled our hearts. I told the kiddos that it is easy to think of the things that others have done toward us but we needed to look at the things WE have done that were stinky choices. We then wrote about those choices. Some of them were so funny. It was like a confessional. Some of them went on and on about things they had done. 

Here is where threw away our stinky choices.

Isn't this precious??? =)

After everyone threw away their stinky choices, we talked about growing kindness and how it starts from the heart. We talked about how we can show others we care about them by having a kind heart. The kiddos then made a kind flower and wrote on the petals ways they could be kind.

Freddy also brought us some flowers so we could remember to always be kind. =)

I bought my flower toys that Our Kindness Recorder uses several years ago at the Target Dollar Spot. I think I see them there every summer. If not, here is a link where you can buy some. =)

{plush flower toys}

Click on the Growing Kindness picture above to download this lesson. =)

Be sure and head over to TPT this Tuesday and Wednesday for a HUGE Sale.

Thank you Beth for this adorable sale sign. =)

Be sure and check out her store. She is amazing. =)

I would love for you to leave me some kindness. =)

From My Heart to Yours,

Back to the Heart- Wrapping Up the Year

As we celebrate Memorial Day, I realize how blessed we are to live in America. I am grateful to all of the men and women who fought and our fighting for our freedom and the countless ways God uses them to be heroes to so many.

I realize as the school year has come to an end that teachers are heroes too. Our battlefield is the classroom as we fight to do what is best for the little ones who are fighting their own battles. Their voices are often not heard.  The struggles of their battles are shown in their behavior....they are either extending love or crying out for love. We can teach them the tools they need to be successful in the battles and challenges faced in everyday life.

 I had to remind myself throughout the day that I may be the only person to love that child for the day and I prayed that I show that child a Heart of Patience. I know God placed each kiddo in my room and I am humbled to realize He entrusted them to me for 178 days. In those 178 days, I asked myself if I was reaching their head and touching their heart???? By loving our kiddos, we are a hero to so many of them.

As the school year has ended for me, my mind is already thinking of next year....I know I am a weirdo. =) But before I can do that, I need to be reflective of this year so I can do a better job next year. I am very critical about the things I do so I always try and make myself find positive things I have done. Here are the questions I am answering and reflecting on. I hope you can use them too!

I am starting to think about our CD book study. I would love for you to leave me a heart note or send me an email about ANY questions you have about CD. This will help me as I plan the book study. I really, really want to know what you are thinking and what parts of CD you think you are ready to try in your classroom.

Thank you for all of the sweet heart notes you leave. I am so blessed by each one of them and treasure each one in my heart.

Pop 'Til You Drop

Are you already enjoying your summer or are you still counting down the days as your kiddos' eyes spin in different directions as they hop down the hallway or twirl in circles on the rug?????

Way to go if you made it to the end....will you pray the rest of us do too???

Will you come take us out of the straight jacket on our last day???

What's your phone number because you might be the 1 phone call we are able to make to bail us out of jail because all of our teaching buddies are in the cell with us! =)

My kiddos actually have not lost their minds yet
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................that was me on my knees praying. =)

To survive this week, we have been having some popping fun.....I almost typed pooping and that is true too because some kiddo (not one of mine) seems to be missing the potty......or a large dog visited the bathroom. I won't share with you the conversations this brought about and of course the potty stories! =P

Okay, that was a squirrel moment!!!!!

Since my buddy Carla and I are the Queens of Brain Pops, this was very fitting!

Here is a quickie of what we have been up to:

*popsicles- you could  make your own as a science lesson but my brain didn't think of that until after I bought some

*popping bingo- the kiddos made their own compound word bingo boards that we are using popcorn for the markers.

*bubble party- different bubble wands and gadgets....each kiddo also has a thing of ice cream or soda bubbles to take home as part of their gift from me

*pop go the numbers- 100's chart clues and number hunt with bubblegum covering the numbers. When the number riddle is solved you get to chew the gum and pop some bubbles

*word pop hop- a race to pop the word wall bubbles (balloons)....kind of like musical chairs and this is a brain pop in the making....I will probably end up adding shaving cream so we can clean our tables as we practice spelling and taking the word wall words off the word wall.

Today, we did the Vowel Pop. I am sorry I have no pictures.

This was so much fun and hysterical!

We had bubbles (balloons) with the vowels written on them. Big blue bubbles (balloons) because I could not find clear balloons at 2 different party stores and the ones they did have were 4 balloons for $1....ummmm, no thank you.

The kiddos came and found a card and after sorting it they had to find the vowel bubble that popped out of the word. They then had to "pop" the bubble. Hilarious doesn't even begin to describe this. I guess since these were helium balloons they were extra thick...especially since I didn't blow them up all of the way so they would be more round like bubbles.

The kiddos were slamming their little booties onto the balloons and bouncing right off of them. Many bubbles had to be popped with scissors. =)

I couldn't even pop one! This was pretty funny too when I bounced off the bubble balloon! =)

You can grab your copy of the Vowel Pop and have tons of fun too!

If you have any questions about this post or game, please leave a comment or email me because my brain is thinking of the 1,000,000 things I need to be doing to wrap up the year and I am sure this post might make sense only to me. =)

Here is another *freebie* that I would love for you to go grab from my TpT store. If you grab it, please consider following my store.

It might be time for me to pop into a bubble bath now! =)

Blessings to you on this Hump Day!

Even though they might be acting like HUGE stinkers, remember that you might be the only one to love that kiddo for the day and many are about to be sent home to no structure and very little love.

We are making our helpful heart bracelets tomorrow and doing a bucket filler activity....my heart is already smiling about this and the sweet, sweet things we will share with each other. This is kind of my way to send off with my kiddos a reminder that they will always be part of a School Family where someone loves them...they just need to look at their bracelet to remember that. =)