Cruising Back to Reality

Last week I was here:

The Carnival Magic

Beaches, relaxation. yummy food, family, reading, yummy food, sun, beverages, yummy food, and blog withdrawal. Did you notice how many times I said yummy food? I thought they were going to have to roll me home.

Here is a picture before we got on the boat.

I am loving how they made my sister squat down so I look taller!

We swam with dolphins. This is my youngest niece Emma kissing Calypso the dolphin.

She She (me) and her Chickadees

We got home on Sunday and I think I left my brain on the boat!

I usually avoid Wal-Mart but I have been REALLY scared to go because I am afraid I will see that they are starting to put out the school supplies...and I LOVE to buy school supplies. I would love to jump into the school as if 1 month of the year had already gone by. The first month is just exhausting...I feel like I reach my word limit for the day around noon.

I am excited that we are having some BIG changes in our math curriculum. I have wanted to burn the majority of what we have been doing. As you might know, Texas is one of the few states that did not adopt the Common Core. We already have our own standards called the TEKS (We have TEKS for language arts, reading, science, social studies, art, technology, health, etc. These are for every grade level across the state). We have new math TEKS this year that have brought in standards that we were missing with the Common Core PLUS more.

Here is an activity that comes from this FABULOUS book that our district is giving to every K-2 teacher. We are also getting the Debbie Diller Math Work Stations book...WAHOO! =)

This is just a quick activity that you can do when you have a few minutes to spare or you can even use the plates as a transition to line kiddos up. This activity helps build number sense and number concepts. All you need are some plates and some dot stickers. My OCD did have trouble getting the dots to be even so it probably took me a wee bit longer to make. I also put a dot on the back of the plate to show which way is the top of the plate (I am not sure if this matters).

Here is a picture of a few of the plates:

There are 32 plates in all.

I don't have a scanner at home so sharing a picture from the book of the different plates you can make was the easiest way for me to show you how to make all of them. If there is an easier way, please remember that I left my brain on the boat! =)

If you have any questions, please let me know.

I will be back very soon to talk about the first chapter in the Conscious Discipline book. It is a wonderful chapter about composure and being the person you want others to become. One of the big ideas is No one can make you angry without your permission. WOW! I think that is a powerful reminder to all of us. I hope you hop back over to read all about it. =)

Question of the Day: Do you do a scavenger hunt the first day of school? Would you be interested in me sharing a Pete the Cat or Kissing Hand scavenger hunt?

I would love for you to take a few minutes and leave me a heart note. =)

From My Heart to Yours,