Have you filled a beach bucket today?

In the very beginning of the year we read a book called Have You Filled a Bucket Today?  The book talks about how everyone has an invisible bucket and you can either fill their bucket by showing kindness, caring, and love, or you can dip into someone's bucket by doing things that would bring them down.  All year we have focused on being bucket fillers and the kiddos have done a really good job at this.  (yay! :) happy teacher heart <3) One of my favorite end of the year projects is to officially be "bucket fillers".  To tie into our ocean unit we have made our buckets beach buckets of course!  :) Each student created their own bucket then we started by personally filling our beach buckets.  You have to love yourself before you can love others right?! The students took some time to write down their special and wonderful qualities.  This absolutely melted my heart and the kiddos took their job as bucket fillers very seriously.  Then each day of the week we set apart time to fill each other's beach buckets.  Precious moments and priceless memories filled our sweet classroom.

Have YOU filled a bucket today?

Marine Lab Tide Pool Touch Tank

Today was so fun!  If you ask some second graders they will call it the best day ever!  Ha!  We were so lucky to have an awesome marine lab tide pool touch tank come to our school this morning.  We all got to touch and hold sea stars, sea urchins, and hermit crabs.  And we got to see an octopus, ghost shrimp, and sea slug.  We had so much fun getting an up close experience with these beautiful sea creatures.

We LOVE German!

Here we are eating yummy cake celebrating our fantastic janitor's retirement!

Thank you German for being so kind and caring to each of us at MATES.  You are always there to lend a helping hand no matter what.  We are so appreciative and thankful for you!  

German you are very loved. <3 

Awesome Ocean Art

I've said it many times but I have to give major shout outs to our oh so talented art teacher Mrs. Trudell.  For the past two weeks the students have been working on these stunning ink-pen masterpieces.  The detail and effort each student put into their work is truly amazing.  My favorite quote when I picked up the class from art last week was, "Look Mrs. Lara it's my first time using cross hatching.  Isn't it cool!?"  Be still my heart!  Cross hatching!  What in the world!?  How many second graders know what that is???  Amazing MATES artists of course! :)

Ocean Animal Reports and Art!

We have been learning so much about the amazing animals that live in the sea.  One of our many ocean animal projects was this super fun partner research, writing, and art project.  Each student worked with a partner to research any ocean animal of their choosing.  We had everything from yeti crab to orca whale.  Once they found out the diet, habitat, predators, description, and interesting facts about their animal they put all their thoughts and information into a paragraph to report to the class. Next each partnership created a large 3D version of their animal to hang above their desks.  Woo!  We have been busy busy busy learning and working hard to get ready for open house!

Good Day Sunshine

Oh my goodness!  This just might be my most favorite art project ever!  We affectionately referred to it in class as our "awesome art project".  :)  I came across the idea on another wonderful teaching blog (for step by step directions please visit Oh Boy 4th Grade!) and just had to find a way to work it in to our curriculum.

As I shared previously, we have just finished reading Because of Winn-Dixie.  In the novel Gloria Dump shares with Opal many nuggets of wisdom.  One of which is that everyone has a personal "most important thing"  it's different for everyone, and you'll know it when you find it.  We took this idea as our jumping off point.  The children each picked one special word and they expressed their most special things through these bright, spectacular art projects.  Once again I am amazed by my second grade artists!