Elizabethan Evening

I'm going to use my sewing skills in a way I never thought they would be used before!

I'm going to create a Renaissance outfit. Ha! I know, it sounds so nerdy. It kind of is though! It's actually for a school event-- in a week-and-a-half or so, my school's annual "Festival of the Arts" is happening, and this year, it's something completely different (in the past it's been more like an art show)-- it's an "Elizabethan Evening". Think Shakespeare and stuff like that.

The elementary classrooms are each going to run a booth in the "peasant marketplace", and the junior highers are going to perform Shakespeare one-acts and monologues and that sort of thing. Fourth grade is doing a wool booth. You might be wondering what in the world we will sell at a wool booth, and my answer is FELT! Felt is made from wool, right? (Except we're using eco-felt... not really wool, I know, but... it was the most budget-friendly plan). I taught my fourth graders how to use a needle and thread, how to tie a knot at the end of the thread (that was the most challenging part for most of them), how to sew two basic types of stitches, how to keep your thread from unraveling when you're done sewing, and how to sew on a button. I was so proud of them for sticking to it until they got it! It was the quietest classroom you've ever heard for two hours straight. Even the boys (who weren't very excited about the project in the first place) were into it. Once we're done with all the items, I'll post a picture of everything they've made. Our goal is 75-100 items!

But back to the Renaissance peasant outfit. We have to be in costume for this Elizabethan Evening, so I went thrift store hunting for some clothing items that had potential, and I think I found a workable ensemble.

First of all, here's an image of a basic peasant outfit:

image credit

Here is what I picked up at the thrift store:

The skirt is perfect as-is, unless I actually start looking pregnant in the next ten days. The brown top is going to become a vest-like item, and the white shirt is about three sizes too large, which is good because I have more room to work with in modifying it. The collar is coming off, and the sleeves will hopefully be more "billowy" when I'm done. This is definitely my nerdiest project yet!


Sun Thrift is one of my favorite thrift stores, and I picked up some more plates for my plate wall while I was there!

I can't wait to actually put my plates onto the wall, but not while we're only living in California for less than two more months.


Last but not least, I mentioned earlier this week that I would post a picture of the baby after my appointment yesterday, but there was no ultrasound. I did get to hear a very cute heartbeat though. I'm so excited to find out if it's a boy or a girl!


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Honesty

This quarter, my fourth graders are reading "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". Last week, my students took a pop quiz on a particular chapter that they had to read for homework. The following photo is a picture of one student's pop quiz.

Seems like nothing unusual. Let's zoom in a little bit.

"I know I got it wrong"

Yeah, he did get it wrong. Better read more carefully next time. I love it when my kids are honest.

This, by the way, is the same student who proclaimed he loves In 'n' Out so much that he would marry it, and he loves it so much that he sleeps with the In 'n' Out hat on at night.


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Sticky Notes

I've been feeling somewhat uninspired this week when it comes to blog posts, so I'll let my students be the inspiration.

Fourth grade is pretty much the first year when sticky notes become a legitimate school supply, and during the first half of the year, I find various sticky notes around the classroom on which students have written themselves notes, written each other notes, or just entertained themselves.

We use sticky notes frequently-- to take notes in textbooks, to jot down vocabulary words, or other scholastic purposes. Some students write notes to themselves like this:

"Tell Mom about feild trip so she can go get perrmission slip in Friday write neat"

Aside from the grammar and spelling issues, this is a legitimate use of a sticky note.

But now to the main point of this post. The weird and funny sticky notes. Take this one:

"My mom will watch you. Got MILK?"

I have no idea what that one means.


How about a riddle?

"You will find me where the little kids play, all day! I'm big and tall with leaves. good Luck"

This next one might be my favorite. If you wanted to find a diamond, which strategy would you use?

"find diamond at volcano or dig hard or go to South Africa find diamond"

And last but not least, this one isn't a sticky note, but students often draw pictures of their teachers, and my students are no exception. We'll round this post off with a portrait of Mrs. Hildebrand, drawn by one of my boys.

How about those pigtails?

Ha!

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Lost & Found

Sam escaped from her cage last night.

I came home from the rehearsal dinner/wedding I had been at from Friday night til Saturday night (and Adam is out of town), and of course the first thing I checked on was Sam. And Sam wasn't there. She must have crawled out of the hole that I can barely stick my pinkie finger into. I really don't know how she did it, but there's no denying that she did.

So I started turning our apartment upside-down, kinda scared that a lizard would come leaping out at me (Sam's a little feisty), but there was nothing to be found. My old roommates, Emily and Loriel, who live five minutes away, offered to come over and help me look for Sam, but still, to no avail. I mean, I even emptied out our laundry hamper. We took everything out of the closet. We flipped over the couch. Every corner and cranny of the apartment. No lizard.

We were about to give up, until I realized the only place we hadn't looked was under the power strip behind the TV. We had rustled all of the cords back there, but we hadn't officially turned over the power strip. I wasn't expecting to find anything, so when Sam, who was indeed under the power strip, wiggled and started to run, I yelled "LIZARD!"

Loriel and Emily blocked Sam in with pillows and couch cushions while I got a tupperware bin. Loriel used one of my gliding discs to scoop Sam in (which was somewhat anti-climactic because she practically walked straight into her new cage).

So Sam is safe, I am safe, and no lizards crawled on me while I was sleeping last night.

Sam's new cage.

Sam and Friends

It has been Creature Week in fourth grade.

For science, we are studying insects and arachnids, so the kids have been in the mood for collecting insects and other creatures so we can examine them up close or perhaps, even keep them for pets.

We've borrowed second grade's tarantula for a few days now, and on Tuesday, the kids caught a beetle, and we fed it to the tarantula. That thing gobbled the beetle right up. I'm not a huge fan of spiders, but it was pretty cool.

There's our tarantula friend, fat and happy after his beetle.

We found a praying mantis...

And then... since the second grade class had caught the mother of all praying mantises, we decided to see what would happen if we put the two of them in the same cage together.

Watching the show...

And this was the result:

Yep, that's the big one eating the little one. The big one ate everything but the papery wings. It was crazy. You can imagine the commotion.


But my favorite find that the kids brought in is Sam, our new class pet.

That's Sam there. A Southern Alligator Lizard, straight from one of my students' driveways. After doing some research online, I've found that they survive in captivity quite well, and they will eat anything that moves. I picked up some mealworms from the pet store today, so we'll see how Sam does. We're not sure if Sam is a girl or a boy, hence the name that could be Samantha or Samuel. Lizards just seem more like "he" creatures, so it'll probably end up being a "he".

He seems pretty happy for now in his makeshift cage, which is a tin baking pan with a plastic cover. One of the kids has an empty reptile tank in the garage, and another student is going to bring in a desk lamp so Sam can have some warmth.

I'm starting to grow a bit fond of Sam.

I hope he survives!


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Laugh Attack

Ready for more wisdom from a fourth grader?

As I'm picking up my class from recess and we're walking up to the classroom, a particular student says in a matter-of-fact tone, "Mrs. Hildebrand, I wanted to tell you that sometimes I get a random laugh attack during a lesson while I'm sitting at my desk, so I just wanted to let you know so you can be prepared."

"Oh," I say. "Well how about instead, you have self-control and stop the laugh attack before it happens?"

"Oh," he says. "Yeah I guess that's a good idea. I didn't think of that."

Exactly.


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Fourth Graders

Wellllll.... school starts in a week, and the teachers' meetings started today, so I thought it would be appropriate for a few words of wisdom from last year's fourth graders.

 
Last year's class always had to tell me about the most minor aches and pains, even though there was nothing I could do about it. Like, all day, every day. I guess they just wanted someone to know about it.

For example: 
Student: "Mrs. Hildebrand, my elbow hurts."
Me: "Ok, why does it hurt?"
Student: "I don't know. It just started hurting."
Me: "Hmm. Ok. Well tell me if it gets worse."
And on with the math lesson.

And so each day went.

Here are some of my favorites.

Complaint #1:
Student raises her hand from back of the room.
I call on her.
Student: "Mrs. Hildebrand, when I scratch my head, little white stuff falls out."
I try not to laugh.
Me: "Well, I think you should tell your mom about that. She'll know what to do."
Student: "Oh. Ok."

Complaint #2:
Student walks up to me.
Student: "Mrs. Hildebrand, my back hurts when I sit down, when I stand up, and when I walk around."
Me: "Ok, well it looks like you only have two options. Either lay down on the floor, or start running in circles around the classroom."
Student, with a confused look on his face: "Ummm, I guess I'll run?"
Me: "No, no, no. I'm just kidding. You'll have to keep sitting down. Just tell me if it gets worse."
Student: "Oh. Ok."

Complaint #3:
Student: "Mrs. Hildebrand, my right foot hurts."
Me: "Oh, why do you think it hurts?"
Student: "Well, I think it's because I woke up late this morning, and when I put my shoes on, I put my own left shoe on, but I put my little brother's left shoe on my right foot and I didn't notice it until I got to school, so now my foot is hurting."
Me: "Hmm, well, I don't think there's anything I can do about that for you. I guess next time make sure you put your own shoes on."
Student: "Oh. Ok."


Eventually, when a kid complained of something I could do nothing about, I just brought out my "magic wand":

Normally used for pointing to things on the whiteboard while keeping kids' attention, it was also useful for curing all aches and pains. As soon as I picked up the magic wand to use on an aching child, he or she was suddenly cured... or maybe just realized the pointlessness of complaining about a hurting pinky toe.



Let the school year begin!