New design!

I redesigned my blog! I think it is a cleaner look.

I've had a three day weekend, so I had some time to play around with my blog. Now it's time to plan for my week. In my class this week we are learning the letters Dd and Oo, focusing on recounts in writing, finding out why people and animals need space and shelter, and learning all about 2D shapes! Should be fun.

Rainbow rice

I coloured some rice today! I'm making a 'sensory activity tub' for my prep class. I haven't totally decided what I will do with it now, but there are heaps of cool ideas floating around the web so I'm definitely not stumped for inspiration or ideas. It will definitely be something I use as a reading group when we get that up and running, but for now I think I'll make it part of my Fine Motor Skills lessons. Maybe using tweezers to pick beads up out of the rice-filled tub. Here is a picture of them drying:

I used natural food colouring which is why the colours are more pastel/muted. I put rice in a big zip-lock bag, added the food colouring and a good big squirt of rubbing alcohol, then mixed it all up. They are laying outside in the sun drying off now. I'm looking forward to mixing them up! Then we'll have rainbow rice!

Time to catch up and Five for Friday and March Currently

I haven't blogged in a very long time. It was week three the last time I blogged, and we are about to go in to week 7 this week!! Phew, the time has flown. I have had a few new roles at school which I've been getting my head around, and I've been sick which is absolutely no fun. But I'm back, and I'm going to keep on trying to post more often! Starting with a link-up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday.

-one-
After I have taught a few letters we have a week of revision, and that week was last week. We revised six letters (s m a t p c). I decided to really push my term 1 preps during the revision week to see what they could do - and I was really impressed! They had to sort images by initial sounds, draw pictures of things starting with the sounds we have learnt, practiced their handwriting of the six letters, and (the hardest of all) identify and record the initial sound for different words. This is the one that stumped quite a few of them, which I knew it would, but some of my preps totally blew me away! They were doing exactly what I had taught them to do: say the word, say it slowly, listen to the sound, check which letter makes that sound, record what you hear. It was so exciting!!

-two-
I had my first sick day this week, and I didn't give my class any warning about it. But they were totally fine!! We talked about it the day after and they told me what they did while I was away, and we talked about what they had learned. It was a relief to see that my preppies are settled enough that a surprise CRT (sub teacher) day was totally fine.

-three-
My sister has started selling Arbonne products, and she gave me a mini makeover today. It was fun, and I looked pretty! Haha... I'm the sort of person who slaps on a bit of tinted moisturiser and a hint of mascara and heads out the door. So I was a bit more girly for a change!

-four-
I am currently obsessed with two TV shows. The Block (Australian renovation show) and Bitten (Canadian werewolves). Love them both! And room reveals are on tonight for The Block!

-five-
I am also obsessed with a book trilogy. Yep, I am finally on the bandwagon of loving Divergent by Veronica Roth. I read Divergent in three days, and am now on to Insurgent. Love it!!

And here is my March Currently from Oh' Boy 4th Grade.

Here is my new phone case. It is an image from my favourite book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. If you haven't read the book you should!! This picture is shown without the detail of the elephant draw initially and it looks like a hat, but once the details are filled in you can see that it is a snake that has eaten an elephant. It is all about perspective and having the right information. I love it!!