Extending More Than Just the Track

As my kids entered the classroom, I gave them this problem: extend the train track that I had started on our table as much as they could. Several kids were interested when the track easily stayed on the table. As it got longer and longer, they had to work harder, trying to balance it on the edge or placing the track carefully on the backs of chairs. Then, one student saw some uncommon building materials in our classroom and used them to support the track. Challenges like this really stretch their cooperation, creativity, and thinking!

My Adventures with Woolly Bear

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Gazpacho for My Muchacho

I'm always on the look out for books that use both English and Spanish. As a non-Spanish speaker, books  written in English with sporadic Spanish words  are a great, natural, non-intimidating way to introduce new words into our (Z-man and my) vocabulary. Some of our favorites are Fire! Fuego! Brave Bomberos, Rubia and the Three Osos, and, now, Gazpacho for Nacho.

Gazpacho for Nacho is a  book about a boy who only eats gazpacho. Frustrated by Nacho's limited palate, his Mami takes him shopping to buy the legumbres needed and then teaches Nacho how to make the soup. 

First, Z-man and I read the book several times over a week or so. Actually, first I pre-read the book by myself. I've noticed that if I struggle through pronunciation, Z often looses interest in the book. 

After he knew the book well, we decided to act it out. Z-man picked a costume (but didn't want to wear it) and then pretended to buy the pepino and other veggies. He made food out of play dough and we practiced following the recipe. While doing these activities, I was very intentional about using the Spanish words in the book as a way to reinforce their meaning. 

Then, we headed to the grocery store to buy tomates, one pepino, one pimiento. I called him "Nacho" and he called me "Mami" as we did this. So fun!

At home, we gathered the rest of the ingredients, put on our aprons and chef hats and began el trabajo. He cut and measured and poured and stirred. We put it in the fridge to chill. 

I'm not sure my guy will be demanding "Mas gazpacho!" like Nacho does, but he did ask for pepinos instead of cucumbers and that makes this a success for me and my muchacho!

Tracing as We Travel

As a transition activity in my classroom, I provide maps and markers to my kids, asking them to trace different paths you can take. Metro maps work really well with the different colored lines and clear paths. Fine motor skills and geography all at once!

I can hardly wait for my next train trip and NYC subway journey with Z-man so we can try this together!

Making the Most of Bath Time!

Z-man is loving baths right now. He's discovered bubble baths and loves trying to find the objects that sink under the bubbles. Other ones float back up after we drop them in so they are easy to find.  

Using foam letters, we make boats, hooking the letters together. We try to build the boats strong and stable enough for the sinking objects to now float on the boats. 

With the same foam letters, I put them on different parts of Z's body. For example, I put the M on his mouth, the L on his leg, or the N on his nose and then sing this little song to the tune of If You're Happy And You Know It: There's a M on your mouth, on your mouth. There's a M on your mouth, on your mouth. It's not farther south, it's just on your mouth. There's a M on your mouth, on your mouth. (I change the farther south part for anything goofy that rhymes with the body part. Knee: It gives me so much glee that there's a...You get it.)

Every time he takes the letter off and looks at it. Rhyming, body part identification, AND letter recognition? Win.

To end bathtime, I rinse Z-mandown with water. As I rinse each part of his body, I name it in Spanish. I pour water over his back and say "espalda" and pour it over his legs and say "piernas." I ask him to "voltate" when I want him to turn. 

My Z and I have so much fun that often the water turns cold and his fingers turn into raisins! He doesn't even know we are learning!

Boogyin' with my Woogie

One of my favorite things to do with Z-man is dance. Somehow we started playing this game that we call "Boogie Woogie". I start singing "Boogie Woogie..." in a sing-song voice and then I ask Z-man a question like "what's your favorite animal?" He then answers in a speed- round fashion. "Giraffe." The more dance filled and blues-esque my performance, the more excitement I get back.
I ask another one: "Boogie Woogie, what color are your socks?" "Blue." There are some trivia questions "Boogie Woogie, who are your grandmothers?" He has five, so this is quite a test of memory recall. "Boogie Woogie, what's Mama's real name?" We go on and on. Sometimes, Z-man accompanies us on the piano and often we have microphones, either imaginary or like these fabulous light up ones.

Why is this goofy game share worthy? Well, its super fun. And the more fun times we have together, the more cooperation I gett. Also, boogying with my woogie gets us talking--and learning new things about each other. I love the chance for him to learn important information in a fun way, like my real name or where we live. And lastly, this jingle has saved us those few minutes before dinner is ready when he is hungry and tired and just done. Those minutes are sometimes super rough but when we boogie our way through them, we are both happy. 

My Discoveries of 2014

2014 was an amazing year.  It was a year with so many more ups than downs, so much family time,  and settling down (somewhat) confidently into my job as a teacher and role as a mama! 2014 was a year of trying different things, working on myself, and making new discoveries.
I'll share five of the best things I discovered this year:
1. Coconut oil is for everything. I've used it to remove spray paint from my hands, get permanent marker off the wall, condition my hair, whiten my teeth, and treat Z-man's diaper rash. I credit coconut oil with my clearer skin (I use it as face wash, make-up remover, and moisturizer) and Z's still-baby-soft skin. I'm obsessed!
2. Consciously saving cash changed my spending. I started saving every $5 dollar bill I got as change. No matter what I wanted to spend it on, I refused to and instead put it in an envelope. I did this for about six months of the year and amassed a pretty decent amount. When I stopped intentionally saving cash, my spending in general increased. I'm going back to this in 2015.
3. Running is therapeutic. This has been my greatest self-discovery this year. I've always hated running and said I just couldn't do it. I ran for 13 minutes one day in May to see if I could and struggled through it. The other I day, I ran five miles! I find that when I run, I'm much more relaxed and less irritable (and healthier!). Life changing for sure.
4. I don't need rigid rules.  Z-man has to brush his teeth twice a day, but he doesn't have to do it right after breakfast.. Some mornings he can finish getting ready at school--we get there early to get my room set--or before we go upstairs for breakfast. There are definitely some exceptions to this discovery, but realizing that rules can be much more fluid has led to greater cooperation and given Z more autonomy.
5. Inside jokes are my magic with Z. We have been cultivating all these little jokes and games since he was born. When I want to reconnect with him, zone out for a second, hear his awesome laugh, or get him onboard with something, whipping out one of these jokes is magic! Also, its really fun!

My guy trying to keep his eyes open three hours after bedtime!

Here's to a 2015 filled with soft skin, saving, long runs, flexibility, and laughing--and more discoveries!