Arizona Blogger Meet-Up

I knew this was coming

and I have been waiting.... 

and waiting... 

and waiting... 

IT's HEE-RREE!!!

So you all KNOW you want to come!!  You will want to meet Me, Linda, Michelle, Teresa... and I am making Bethany come with me! So... ARE you going? Just hop on a plane... it will be fun!

For those of you who can't make it.... don't worry! I haven't finished planning it yet but I was going to have a back-to-school bloggy teacher shopping day in July. I had so much fun with Bethany that we thought we should do it again. =)

Tombstone, Arizona

Each summer, I like to play tourist and also educate my boys in something new. I took them to Rawhide awhile back and posted about our adventures. Since my boys are still into the "Wild West" - we decided to take them on a trip to a real Wild West Town.

Tombstone was founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin who had several silver minds down there. This was prior to Arizona even being a state and Tombstone was hoping to be the capital (that honor went to Prescott). It was one of the largest cities in the nation at during the late 1800s. Hard to believe isn't it?

This old town should have died off a long time ago but thanks to the infamous Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday... it remains a tourist attraction and town today. It is also the site of many western towns you see in movies.

Anywho...

Doc Holiday's Gunfight Palace

My little cowboys were blood thirsty so we stopped at the first place to offer a gun fight. Let me tell ya now... Tombstone is an expensive place to take a family!!! It cost us $26ish (hubby was in charge of the money) to see this indoor gun fight. If you go, skip it. The place is the size of your classroom, it is hard to see and just not worth the money. My kids missed it all. Hubby took this by raising his hand, pushing the button and hoping for the best.

We went during Memorial Day weekend not realizing it was Wyatt Earp Days. It was crowded but not overly so and we had the bonus of there being free gun fight shows in the street.

The boys had a blast with all of the gun fights... and they even got in on the action.

This is the main event and why people visit Tombstone. The OK Corral where the infamous gun battle happened. This was EXPENSIVE! When you purchase these tickets, you also get admittance into two other sites (Historama and the Epitaph Museums). It was a 45 minute show and the boys loved this.

I was particularly impressed with the Good Enough Mine Tour. First, they offer a discount to teachers, military, and anyone who services the community ($8 off) and anyone under 10 is free. It was the favorite thing we did perhaps even better than the gun fights. My middle son "stole" (the prospector told him to) the prospectors gun and held him up AND it was a real gun (loaded with blanks!).

So here are the stars going down, down, down into the mine. There are not any monsters or ghosts that live in this mine but according to my littlest one there are zombies.

No worries... he has his cap gun and his daddy!

See all that gray stuff on the walls... THAT'S SILVER! We learned a lot about minerals, mining, the way one used to see in the dark, lead and food poisoning.... hmmm... what else!

This is a pile of silver before it is made into pretty shiny things.

The last thing we did (after I shredded my knee in a blonde moment) was to visit Boot Hill. What an interesting cemetery.  Just look at this gravestone. Where else would you see something like this? Almost all of the graves said how they died.

Traditionally on Memorial Day weekend, we attend a service remembering our fallen soldiers but I felt like my children were missing the history behind why our country and our state is so important. This trip allowed them to learn more about our freedoms, the birth of our state and country, and to understand why it is important to protect it. If you plan on going for the day, plan on spending $100 per person.

Thank you to all of those who serve our country! We will be thinking of you, your families, and your sacrifices as without you, we wouldn't be able to enjoy moments like this.

Day Trip & a WINNER!

So this is going to be a short and sweet post! My family took a day trip to Tombstone, Arizona and we are all worn out but thankfully not sun burnt! The weather was beautiful!! Cool and breezy so unlike Arizona at this time of year.

Anywho... a winner! CONGRATS Lori at Teaching with Love and Laughter!! I am sending you an email now with more information. =)

Teacher Treasures & Student Teaching

I found a great new resource for all of my Arizona friends and had to share. Check out this video!

Have you been to Treasures4Teachers? Do you have something similar in your state? I have filled out my application and am planning on making a trip to the warehouse tomorrow. I am hoping to find something for use with my kiddos next week.

Speaking of kiddos....

Student Teaching/Practicum - Round 1 Day 1

6 hours down 24ish hours to go

I am currently working in a Resource Room for grades K-5. It is much different than I expected. The school I am at is a Title 1 and is sadly lacking resources. There are so much these kids need to succeed! I have learned a lot. 

I have also decided there are some things teachers cannot live without!

1. A sense of humor (you never know what will happen next!)
2. Patience (as a result of number 1)
3. The willingness to accept criticism from students and be willing to change as a result
4. Behavior Management Plan - posted, implemented, and enforced! If you don't know what you want, they won't either. 
5. Resources - cuz it is boring when there is nothing to do
6. Planning is necessary. Teaching on the fly can work but you will fumble through. Teaching with a plan means you know what you are trying to accomplish and how you will get there. 

The last one was because I ended up teaching K-1 math on the fly. I took over mid-lesson due to an emergency. We were working on a worksheet, the teacher has a specific way of teaching that I was not aware of. So... I totally goofed the first one! I had 6 kids staring at me waiting for the next direction, I gave one and off we went. By the time I got to the end I said inside my head....

oh... 

so that is how I was suppose to teach it. 

OOPS! 

Skipped that step and 

that step

and yea... 

that step too!

Did I mention there are no directions 

written on the worksheet?

You are suppose to mind-read the directions.

I haven't taken that course yet!

 

LOOK!

Here is another worksheet 

just like the first

DO OVER!

And so we did

 and so they learned 

while twirling rulers 

and bouncing in the chairs 

and I was bribing them for answers 

with animal crackers. 

We all survived to do it again another day. 

The teacher was impressed we accomplished so much and no one was hurt. Seems the first time she left the last student teacher alone with them it resulted in 2 kids ending up in the nurses office and blood. YIKES!

Shhh!

I don't know what we accomplished!!!

My mentor teacher's teaching style is vastly different from my own but I am still learning from her.  Next week will be a busy one for me complete with IEP meetings (for my kiddos) and more student teaching and another interview... this one is for a long term sub position. Mid-April till end of school. 

I will be back later with my second post of the day 

to announce A WINNER!

Who wants coffee??

Technology in the Classroom

One of the major focuses for new teachers is the integration of technology into the classroom. It is something that we are always asked to consider for every assignment from classroom management to behavior to actual lesson plans. Technology is everywhere!

A recommended item to purchase was an iPad. The classrooms in Arizona are Apple rooms meaning all the computers are Apples and many schools are utilizing iPads in the classroom. Being familiar with one is vital for us. So I bought one. In each class, we are introduced to new applications and new ways of working with our students through technology. It also makes for a very fun toy! I will be sharing some of my favorite apps with you in the future.

Classroom websites are now common form of communication to both the student and parent. I choose to build my website with Weebly Education. After much research, this site seems to have the best price for premium features but even without it, you have a lot of space, pages, and it is easy to use. I need EASY! Students each get their own accounts as well. Having a website and utilizing it was also part of a grad school assignment.

As with a lot of things, this site is a work in progress. I will need to wait until I have an actual class to finish it completely but I am very happy with the framework that I have created for my future students. Weebly has since added more features that I have not yet had time to play with. Please note that some pages are password protected - these pages will list student names and/or photographs and is designed to provide confidentiality to the students.

PS... don't forget to enter my 50 follower giveaway. I also hinted about my 100 follower giveaway in another post.

The bloggy makeover is under construction! Amy asked for a hint. It is black, red, & white. It is whimsical and fun (to go with the Seuss part of my blog title) and that is all I know. LOL!

Happy 100th Birthday, Arizona!

In 1853, the land that would eventually become Arizona was part of the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico. On February 14, 1862, Arizona was considered a separate territory from New Mexico for the first time as they joined the Confederates in the Civil War. This was the first time Arizona had its own name and it claimed half of the New Mexico territory. On February 14, 1912, Arizona became the last of the continuous 48 states to join the nation... it is also the 48th state!

Arizona is a melting pot of Hispanic and Native American influences. It is a strange land with a mixture of deserts, red rocks, and deep green forests. It is home of the Grand Canyon. It has extreme temperatures that can reach to below zero in Northern Arizona in the winter and then heat up to 120 degrees in the desert during the hottest parts of the summer. The sun shines about 300 days out of the year; rain in the desert is minimal. However, we have snow in the Northern areas of the state. The area is free primarily from natural disasters with the exception of micro-bursts and ha-boobs. It is a destination for tourists and winter visitors. There are days when we forget the Wild West is dead and try to resurrect it. Sadly we are ranked 49 in education... we make the rest of the states look good!

Today as we celebration Valentine's day... we will also be celebrating the birthday of Arizona. We will be focusing on what makes Arizona unique and special.



State Flower: Saguaro Cactus Blossom

State Tree: Paloverde Tree 

State Bird: Cactus Wren

State Seal

State Motto

We will be writing about our favorite places and memories. The vast variety of landscapes and adventures to be had are wide. How will we ever be able to choose a favorite? What is yours?

Sedona

Jerome

Lava Tubes

Havasu Falls

Meteor Crater

Snow Bowl

Desert Sunsets

UPDATE: Check out my TpT for state history fun!

Rawhide

Today was family fun day at our house. It has been a rough few months and we all needed something to look forward to and something relatively inexpensive... that is hard to do for a family of 5! We loaded up the boys and did not tell them we were going. We gave them the following clues though:

~ It's in the desert
~ It's in Arizona
~ There is an i in the place we are going
~ There is an e in the place we are going

We have been teasing them all week long. So where did we go: RAWHIDE! Considering that I have lived here for so long it is a wonder that I have never been to this Wild West Town. It is free admission but the attractions will cost you about $15 a person (that is for a wrist band for the entire day). We had the kids arrested and also ate at the steak house for lunch. Next weekend is their 41st birthday celebration - all attractions are free! So if you don't mind the crowds, head on out! Check out the pictures of some of the fun you could be having:

 Burro Rides           

 Petting Zoo             

  Gun Fight Show      

 Being Arrested        

 Train Ride               

 Carriage Ride          

 The Museum            

Educational Features: My kids are weird (You probably know that already!). They LOVE museums and learning. They want to learn about where they are going before getting to the fun. See... I told you they were weird. So we stopped at the museum (we were the ONLY people in it!) and learned more about the wild west. the boys were particularly interested in the medicines they used. The reenactment shows retold stories from history of adventures in the wild west. The boys have heard and read many of these before but hearing them and then watching a gun fight was even more fun.

So how did you spend your Saturday?