Cardboard Day

Recently my class participated in a school-wide Cardboard Day. We spent the entire day (when we weren't at recess or specials) creating. It was so much fun! My Kinders love to create & build things, so this day of STEM was right up their ally. 

For about three weeks students brought in boxes ~ I wish I had taken a picture of the huge pile of boxes that accumulated. It seemed like an overwhelming amount of boxes, but with the all the K-5 classes participating there wasn't much left over. In addition to cardboard parents donated lots & lots of duct tape. (I spent a lot of the day tearing strips of duct tape for the kids.)

Each grade level chose a task for their kids: kindergarten: something that you can fit in, first: something for their year-end camping theme activities, second: rocket ships, third: something that will hold a third grade, fourth: marble roller coaster, fifth: zoo animal habitat.

We began the day with some planning. Before starting we discussed some guidelines: only take the boxes you need, return what you don't use, don't cut corrugated with classroom scissors, etc. The kids were allowed to chose their partners/groups. Because this was a fun day of creativity I wanted to let the kids pick who they wanted to work with, and it worked out well. They pretty much split themselves into the same small groups & duos that they usually hang out with during play time.

These two pictures show the planning stage. The kids were instructed to discuss what they wanted to make with their groups & to sketch out a plan. 

The bulk of the day was spent creating. It was fun watching the kids figure out what to do when confronted with a problem. These girls are working on a wall for their house.

This group of boys started out making a fort, but ended up making a robot. Not exactly something that you can get  inside of, but, hey! we're in kindergarten, a very flexible kind of place.

This little girl and her partner made a musical "playground." The top of the box features some musical instruments (you have to love their imagination!). M is putting the finishing touches on the dance mat portion of their creation.

These smiling boys had a lot of fun creating an ever-changing project. 

They are the ones who ended up with the robot below.

The little guy in the picture below decided to work on his own to make this car. He was really proud of the fact that it was sturdy enough to hold his weight & had cargo space under the seat.

This girl and her partner worked on a house that featured a chimney, mailbox, and outdoor TV. They even  created a chair to relax in while watching television.

Another solo worker. This little guy made a comfy seat.

This day was tons of fun, but really tiring. One of my kiddos said, "I'm so tired." at the end of the day, and others agreed. It was so busy ~ the kids worked all day long! I think they could have done more than one day of "cardboarding." I guess they will have to wait for next year.

Five for Friday

I can't believe that it's been nearly a month since my last post! Where did May go? Seriously! It seems like the month just started. I'm joining Doodle Bugs Teaching for her Five for Friday linky. So here it goes! (I know it's Saturday ~ I fell asleep while I was writing this post yesterday.)

Granddaughters! Everything that is said about grandchildren being the best is so true! I have so much fun with my little darlings.

Cousins! I am so happy that my granddaughter have so much fun together. My family moved to Indiana from West Virginia when I was a toddler, so I never got to hang out with my cousins. It's wonderful that these little girls are growing up together.

 Amelia says hello to Bob.

Sisters Isabella & Olivia have fun with cousin Amelia. We took a walk in the pasture on a sunny day in early May. 

Amelia's sweet baby sister Madelyn. This picture was taken several weeks ago ~ she's a sitting up baby now! Boy, time really does fly!

Our butterflies emerged this past week ~ the kids had so much fun watching them flutter around. Well, not this little guy. He came out with tiny, malformed wings & can't fly. Because of his little wings the kids called him Nemo. After a few days in the net the kids were concerned that the butterflies would knock themselves out hitting their heads on the net, so at their request we let them go. I thought we would be able to keep them for a few more days, but the kids were worried about them. We did keep little Nemo because he can't fly. I hope he can hold out another 7 more days of school, then I'll put it outside.

Pets! Over the years we have had lots and lots and lots of pets. We've had everything from cats & dogs to mice & rats, lizards & snakes, fish & frogs, rabbits & ferrets, birds, a guinea pig, horses, and for a short while we even had a goat! My girls love animals! We are "down" to Macie the chihuahua, and two house cats (Ella & Sweet Little Kitty), three horses, several barn cats, and "foster" German shepherd Vader. Wow! 

Macie & Ella are a couple of little beggers! They are always hanging around the kitchen looking for something to drop. :-)

Recently I broke out my second to last bottle of Spiedie Sauce to marinate some chicken. My husband is from Syracuse, NY and that's where I discovered this yummy marinade. I'm not sure if it's available anywhere besides New York, but you can get it online HERE. (I just have my in-laws send it to me since I can't get it in Indiana.) Cut chicken or pork into strips & marinate, put onto skewers & cook them on the grill. It's so delicious! 

With only seven days of school left I'm going to let my Kinders spend more time playing games & working in our literacy stations. They really love literacy stations! Here a couple of boys are sorting pictures by final sound. This is an activity from my May/June Literacy station set. You can get it separately or in my new growing bundle. January - May/June are done. I plan to finish it over the summer. Click HERE to purchase.