Saturday, June 29, 2013

Dancer Girl

We enrolled Raegan in dance last year as a way to introduce her to new situations and give her something fun to try. I never would have guessed how much she would end up enjoying it. Raegan loves dancing. L-O-V-E-S it. She is constantly asking me to put on music so that she can dance. And by the end of this school year, she was getting really into dance. At her recital she was spot on matching the moves up to the music. So, we'll be doing dance again this fall. I don't know how long we'll keep it up, but I'm planning on it as long as she has that look of joy on her face. :)

Today at the skating rink they played the Happy Birthday song that they've been playing since I was a kid. Raegan was hardcore dancing and beebopping to the beat. It was so adorable. I didn't get any video but here's pictures from skating.





Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Summer So Far

So far our summer has included trips to the pool and splash pad, playing in the sprinkler in our backyard, working in the garden at school, taking walks downtown to look at the statues, and playing with garage sale finds (that will actually end up going to Mommy's new classroom!) It's been a fantastic summer so far! 













My Teaching Blog

I almost forgot! I've also started a teaching blog, to document my beginning in teaching special education. There's not a lot to it yet, and obviously there won't be until school starts. But you can bookmark it and check back in August. :)

http://kindlingofaflame.wordpress.com

Big Changes

I forgot to mention on here that this next school year will have some big changes. In May, I took a position for our special education cooperative. I'll still be teaching preschool but no longer for Head Start. I'll be teaching in a self-contained special education preschool classroom, which means I'll actually only be starting with 8 students. The other change is that I'll be going back to college again. I don't have special education as a part of my early childhood degree, so I need to add on what I have. It will be a total of 35 credit hours spread out over the next two and a half years, and I'll be teaching on a waiver while I do that.
I am so ridiculously excited for this change. I spent the last school year feeling like I was stuck and had no options for other employment because of my limited degree. Once I'm done with this added indorsement I'll be able to teach through 3rd grade if I should choose to do so ever. Odds are I won't go that route because my heart is really with younger children, but in our economy it's nice to have those options.
After 9 years of teaching Head Start this is going to be a big change. I'll be the case manager for all of my children's IEPs, which means I'll be writing all of them and responsible for making sure that they are implemented. But although I'll have that additional paperwork I will no longer have the triplicate of paperwork that Head Start always required. And fewer students will make a big difference too. I start off the year with 8 IEP students and will add four peer models to that. I have the potential to have as many as 12 children total in each class including the peer models. But last year at Head Start I had 32 children between both sessions so this will still be a lot less of a load.
I'll be the only preschool classroom in a local elementary school. I always thought I wouldn't want that seclusion. But after a lot of drama last year I'm really looking forward to be my own little island. :) I've heard that my classroom is pretty bare but that just means that I get to build it up the way I want it to be. It's going to be such a new adventure and I cannot wait!
Here are a few pictures of my new room. This is while they were still moving all the third grade supplies out so it really doesn't look preschool friendly yet. I'm really excited for the Promethean Board, something that I've never had a chance to use before. I don't use a lot of technology in my classroom, but I'll definitely figure out some appropriate uses for it. :)




Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Gymnastics!

Raegan is loving gymnastics this summer!! 








Our Patio Garden

After we got back from vacation, Raegan and I planted our little garden. So far we have three tomato plants, one green pepper and a pot of rosemary. My dad said he would give me some basil, and I would like to add some cilantro too. These pictures are from when we planted a few weeks ago, and we already have flowers and a few tiny green tomatoes. I've been really diligent about watering and I'm hoping it pays off.






Sunday, June 9, 2013

Gardening at Raegan's School

We had the opportunity right after Memorial Day to go over to Raegan's school to do some gardening with other classmates. Raegan was really enthusiastic about going, although when it came down to her teacher taking a group picture, she wanted nothing to do with that. Oy.



Raegan was especially interested in the strawberry plants, once Ms. Sherry said that she could eat any red ones she found.


Gotta wash strawberries off before you eat them.


Helping clean off her shovel at the end of the morning.

Colorado Vacation, Day Three - Garden of the Gods

Warning: this post has a lot of pictures in it. A LOT. I couldn't help it - Garden of the Gods is so beautiful. That, and Raegan was basically a mountain goat while we were there, and it was really funny to see.


I was afraid that it might rain on us at first, but it never did. It was just a cool, cloudy, perfect Colorado day.


There was no parking in the main lot (that's what you get on a Saturday in the summer, I suppose) so we had to walk over to the main area. It was quite a walk, but Raegan was a trooper.





But she did get tired towards the end of our walk.




Zoomed in to get this one!








Thoughtful pose


Selfie :)


I love these two pictures so much. Best. Photobombs. Ever.





Raegan was determined that she was going to go everywhere Zane did




Love this picture too!








Don't worry - Raegan had some help getting up there with Zane.






Yikes!




It was such a fantastic vacation. They get more fun every year, as Raegan gets older and is able to handle more and enjoy all of the activities. I can't wait until next year!

Colorado Vacation, Day Three - Dinosaur Resource Center

Saturday morning we decided to try another new activity - the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center. Not all of the skeletons inside were real, but some pieces were. I was really excited, because I don't think that I've ever seen (or touched) actual dinosaur bones before. It wasn't very big, but I would say we were there at least an hour. And without the family, I would have been there longer reading every sign thoroughly. :)





The mass inside this prehistoric fish's skeleton is the remains of his last meal. Very cool!


Pretending to be paleontologists


Making a dinosaur out of magnetic pieces


Raegan's dinosaur


I am so glad all of these prehistoric fish are extinct. They creep me out big time.


Just a portion of an ultrasaur's leg bone. Yikes!


Note that Raegan never took her sunglasses off once. They were her souvenir from the zoo. She is crazy about them.

Raegan was fascinated with the video about digging up and preserving fossils.