I Have a Dream

"...And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"


 

 After reading excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech "I Have a Dream," I asked my students what their dream is?

"Dream big," I encouraged them. "Dream beyond yourself. Don't limit your dream to your tastes, your wants. Let your dream apply to the world."

This is what they came up with.

~ No more cruelness ~

~ The world would be free of abortion ~

~ People will stop killing each other ~

~That all gun shots and killing will stop in all the world ~

~ Everybody will have their needs met ~

~ Stop cutting down trees ~

~ That plants don't get extinct ~

~ The world will be less polluted and be like time in the 1800's ~

~ That in the future terrorists will leave the world ~

~ No more thorns ~

~ No war again ~ 

Good job class! 

Angels We Have Heard on Haiku

Here's an idea for a Christmas bulletin board that incorporates writing skills into a fun art project. I came up with this idea last year after teaching my students how to write haikus as part of our reading curriculum. Once they learned how to follow the pattern - 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables - they went to work creating a new haiku for every topic they could think of. And of course, Christmas was at the top of this list.

All you need are some pre-printed angels, colored pencils, scissors, glue, glitter and some soft Christmas music to get you in the mood.

Take a look at these precious angels heralding in the Savior's birth. Great job, class!

 

 

Harvest of Thanks

All of us have things that we are grateful for, and celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday brings the many blessings we experience to the forefront of our minds. We are thankful for our families, friends, homes, school, and health. We offer thanks for a green light when we are running late for school, or when we remember how to spell "biscuit" on a spelling test. Not a day goes by that we don't feel God's helping hands in our lives.

 

This is how I introduced our bulletin board project for November to my students, and their thoughts quickly turned toward giving thanks in their own lives. Then the fun began as each students went to work creating a harvest of thanks. All that was needed for this project was pre-printed wheat heads and grape clusters on card stock, colored pencils, scissors, and an attitude of gratitude.

Great job, class! 

Autumn Wildflower Bouquets

Flowers are usually synonymous with springtime, so I was a bit hesitant to do this art project with my class last week. It just didn't seem to fit in with the fall leaf art project that first grade had up on their bulletin board, or kindergarten's pumpkin patch. I mean, flowers in autumn....could I pull it off?

The whole idea began five years ago as a Mother's Day craft. I was looking for a way for my students to create something for their mothers with sentimental value...something like a bouquet of fingerprint flowers. I used a green marker to draw the stems, and a piece of wallpaper cut out of a sample book donated by a local paint store for the vase. The craft itself was a huge success, but another craft became the favorite for Mother's Day. I didn't need two.











Then the idea hit me to move this craft to fit in with our plant chapter in science. Every fall we study plants; trees, wildflowers, garden flowers and their seeds, and many of these wildflowers are in bloom during the fall months. Queen Anne's lace, aster, chicory, black-eyed Susan, goldenrod, and mums are just a few examples.










Again, the craft was a success, but I usually only displayed them in my classroom before sending them home. Flowers in autumn? Not so sure.










This year I decided to take a chance and display the artwork in the hallway, and by the overwhelmingly positive response, it was the right decision.

Good job, class!
 

Create-A-Bug

Scientists have discovered 800,000 different kinds of insects, but they think that there are many kinds that have not been found yet. Every year from 7,000 to 10,000 new kinds of insects are discovered and named. Understanding God's World, A Beka Book, 2008. 

"Do you think you could imagine 800,000 different kinds of insects?" I asked my students. They quickly admitted that they could not.

"What if you were there when God created the insects, and He let you each think up one?" I asked. "Could you do it?"

"YES!"

Well then, here is your task. You are to create a new species of insect, and place it in its habitat. You may use paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils, glue, glitter and pipe cleaners. Be creative and have fun! God did!

Mexican Beedle with Guitar

Rainbow Killing Mantis
(with braces!)

Globe Fly

Crababeepiboutter

Background Bug

Brownie Crab Fly

 



Star Fly

Fish-Hopper Bufly



Puff Fly

Jerusalem Crickant



Killing Guinea Pig Fly

Larry the Cucumber
Bob-a-Bomb Fly
Machine Number Two

 

Torn Paper Pictures

Welcome back to my fourth grade classroom! We are off to a great start at Alleluia Community School, as my new fourth grade class settles into their new classroom routine. I am excited about my new students, although I do have to admit that I miss my baby girl, Lucia, who has moved across the hall into fifth grade. When I do happen to catch sight of her as she comes and goes from her classroom, we enjoy the exchange of a wave or a smile.

My new class enjoyed their first art project for the year, and it turned out fantastic! I had them make torn paper pictures, which involves using construction paper and glue. No scissors allowed! They could make any scene their imaginations could conjure up. Take a look at their finished products.



Tide Pool

Piglet












World Map

Thirsty Guinea Pig














Bigfoot and Toucan

Pop-Up Penguins




Sunny Beach

Ocean Sunset









Soccer Field

Campfire Girl



 

 



Happy Gymnast

Basketball Star