I cried, I laughed, it was better than Cats...

The Cat in the Hat that is.

With the combination of Dr. Seuss' Birthday and Mardi Gras shutting down the city, I am tuckered out. Here is a little update of some of the activities from last we did to celebrate the two holidays!

Here is my Teacher bestie and I, in our Thing 1 and Thing 2 outfits... would you expect anything else?

For one activity I read to the class, "Happy Birthday to You" By Dr. Seuss. 

The students and I discussed why it is important to be ourselves and how special we are because of our differences. We then created self portraits, which was inspired by Leslie Ann, she always has adorable ideas!

Afterwards, the students completed the following writing prompt: "I am I because____________." The students filled in the blank with traits they thought made them special and unlike any one else!

Sadly, I forgot to take pictures of the activity "If the Cat in the Hat went to a Mardi Gras parade he would..." that Ms. Thomas created for our team. We read the Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss and discussed how mischievous that Cat was. The students came up with great ideas of how he would cause a little chaos at a Mardi Gras Parade. 

(I will post those pictures tomorrow. )

Every year my school puts on a Mardi Gras Parade the day before the Mardi Gras Break. 1st through 5th grade line the hallways as the Pre-K and Kindergarden class parade their mini shoe box Mardi Gras floats down the halls and throw beans and candy. It's intense, I cannot lie... but the students LOVE it. 

Here are my students waiting on the hallway for the parade to begin!

Below is a picture of the parade going on.... 

and here are my students with big smiles and beads at the end of the day... and then I gladly welcomed my 2 day break! :)

I hope you got to enjoy Mardi Gras wherever you may be!

Like we say in the South, Le Bon Temps Roule or Let the Good Times Roll!

A Teenage Dream kind of mood...

 I am in a good mood because:

1. Today was the second day of the entire school year I had in my classroom alone, no students. Finally, got that work done I cannot accomplish with them in the classroom! (Besides the time I show up early or stay late to prepare for my weekly lessons) But I got to do some house cleaning!

2. I am wearing this bomb nail polish that has put Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" in my head on repeat. I can't even lie to you... I have really enjoyed seeing my nails sparkle on my document camera. Is this weird? Probably.

3. Mardi Gras is right around the corner and Holy Word I am ready. Unlike most of you, Southern LA did not get the snow day breaks. Whaa.
Regardless... I am ready for my 2 days off. Ready for New Orleans, the parades, the Mardi Gras Ball, the beads. And mainly ready to paint my face with glitter, wear my purple/ green/ yellow feathered Mardi Gras boa and dance in the street. And yes I do plan on doing all of that. 

 And to top off the Mardi Gras celebration, "The Park" always does a parade of Pre-K- 1st Graders.... SO CUTE! The kids drag their mini shoe box floats and throw beads to the rest of the school. Best day. 

Anyways, since I had so much time in my classroom today, I didn't have much to take home! So, I decided to upload my Journaling Sticks for you tonight :)
Click Here

Seriously guys, these sticks have been such an awesome tool! I have seen such creative writing taking place at the writing station! The journal topics really have gotten those juices flowing for my kids.
Also, at the end of the Journaling Topics document are Quiz Questions (Who are the characters, what is the setting, etc.) These are a great tool to use during small group time.

*There are 33 Journaling Topics and 15 Quiz Questions. I printed mine on Avery 1"x 2 5/8" (30 labels per sheet, Template 5160) Afterwards, I cut them down to fit on the large popsicle sticks. 

* And to top off the night, I finally figured out how to reduce my PDF sizes. About time.