Elfnapped!

On Wednesday, there were a bunch of kids staying after school for a program called Destination Imagination.  It was wonderful to see the kids work in teams and use their creativity.  They left for a while to go research in the computer lab.  It sounds like they have a lot to do to prepare for a competition in March. I started to wonder what happened in the other third grade classes, so I decided to check out another third grade class at Glengary the next day.  It completely confused Team Bond, as I heard they searched high and low for me.  Team Bonkowski, which is the class next door to Mrs. Bond's class, welcomed me in.  Just for comfort, I did bring my wreath that the girls made for me, as well as the letter Mrs. Timlin wrote to me.  I found a sweater bag to put the note in, as I have noticed Team Bond adding notes to their mitten and sweater bags on the Winter Bucketfiller Board.  Mrs. Bond had a few more on her desk.  I hope she didn't mind.

While I was in Mrs. Bonkowski's class, I noticed there was another teacher.  I have seen him come into Team Bond here and there.  His name is Mr. Thomas, and he is an intern teacher from MSU.  Team Bonkowski created beautiful snowflakes while I was there. I always love seeing kids get creative!

I decided to hang out for another day in Team Bonkowski, but Team Bond had other plans for me.  I guess they wanted me there for their party, so while the kids were out of Mrs. Bonkowski's room, a girl and a boy came and got me.  I was a bit worried, as they had this purple thing that looked like a hippo and they used it to grab my hat and put me in a green cylinder.  Luckily it was filled with cushy blue felt, and it was actually quite comfortable.  Mrs. Bond remembered that I lots of kids had wrote persuasive letters to me about sitting on the book spindle.  They said that it would be like an amusement park ride when it spun, but that I would also get a great view of the classroom and be around books!  I do remember some kids thinking that the Greater Gator bucket would also be a good place, even though there is a couple stuffed gators near by.  I think I may choose that location tomorrow, as I would love to read what the kids have done to earn the Greater Gators.  Mrs. Timlin talked about that in the letter she sent me.  I wonder if any of the kids have earned one for being trustworthy...the word of the week?

The kids had a great holiday party.  They made ornaments that were stuffed with slips of paper that highlighted specials things about them at this age.  I think they will like reading these when they are older.  They also played fun games.  They had to stack cups fast, hit balloons with paper plates, and even stack nuts (the fastener kind) using only a candy cane.  After the party another teacher came in.  Mrs. Bond had to take her daughter to the doctors.  The children seemed to do well.  They learned more about area.  They also read about energy conversions, although some of the struggled with the questions at the end.  Finally, they worked on Kwanzaa Hearts.  They had to put them in their desk to finish tomorrow.

Well, one last day before holiday break!  I am sure that there will be a lot of excitement in the air! It sure has been fun watching the learning in their exciting educational environment!

Reaching New Heights!

Monday, December 16, 2013

Today, the kids cracked up to see me swinging high above the class sitting comfortably on a lush baggie wreath!  I love the view around the classroom, as it is adorned with these great crystal wreaths.  Who knew sandwich baggies could be so beautiful!  In fact, I overheard some girls talking about making me one.  Mrs. Bond hung it right in front of me.  They are supposed to put a note on it, letting me know that it is for me.  I don't think they knew I was listening in.  I am so excited to know that I will be able to keep one! 

This morning, Mrs. Timlin, the principal, talked about the word of the week.  The word of the week is trustworthiness. What an important word to focus on!  Being a trustworthy person is a life skill that is so essential.  You have to be a trustworthy friend, a trustworthy employee, and a trustworthy neighbor, among other things.  Being able to count on other people to be honest and loyal and dependable is what makes relationships grow! I wonder if I will be able to spot kids being trustworthy to each other?  I sure do hope so!  I noticed Mrs. Bond put the word on this poster.  I wonder what she is going to do with it?

Today in math, Mrs. Bond showed the class how to use the iPad and an app called Minecraft to practice perimeter.  It was pretty cool.  She made a diamond rectangle that had a perimeter of 14 by having 1 row of 6 blocks.  The kids seems super excited to use Minecraft in math.  Not all the kids were able to do it today, but Mrs. Bond said every child would be able to do it by the end of the week.  That's nice that she can trust them with her own iPad! 

In the afternoon, Mrs. Bond read more of The Secret Zoo!  OH BOY!  IT IS GETTING SO GOOD! Today, the kids met a new character, Mr. Darby.  He is an old man that wears a purple velvet trench coat, has a long gray beard, with long gray hear in a pony tail, and wears beady sunglasses.  He sounds creepy, but Mrs. Bond assured the class he is a good guy.  She also said that she sometimes pictures Dumbledore from Harry Potter with sunglasses on.  Some kids thought he sounded cool.  

Then, the kids were able to tune into a live video stream from inside the White House.  There was a man getting interviewed about the White House artifacts, furniture, and art. It was very interesting.  He talked about presidential portraits, the furniture presidents decide to have, and even a piano that was the 300,000th piano Steinway produced, complete with eagle legs. 

Then, the highlight came at the end of the day.  It was Goal Time, and the kids were busy!  There was a pet club meeting in the back of the room, as well as a spa!  Hand massages in a container of water, raffles for bracelets, and even a braiding station. They even had background music playing.   Some kids were creating snowflakes and drawing, while others were crocheting.  One boy created a small hat on the knitting loom.  I think it could even fit me.  I may try one on tonight, as there is a rainbow one on the top of the yarn pile.  The other hats are in bags with kids names on it. 

A man brought in Mrs. Bond's mail, and there were more cards delivered.  This Holiday Card Exchange project is pretty neat.  The kids LOVE getting mail! Mrs. Bond got a card all the way from Canada today!  Check out the chart they have created to keep track of the information shared on the cards. It amazes me that the class sizes are pretty small...with the exception of Sweet Apple Elementary in Georgia.  (What a cute name for a school!)

Again, this third grade classroom has been so much fun to visit.  I may have to try to see if I can stay here for the rest of the week.  I hear they have a party on Thursday.  What fun! 

Cheers to Learning, 

Etavonni

A Friday with Mrs. Share!

(I tried to post this on Friday, but my internet was acting funny.  I thought it posted, but when I went on, I noticed that it never was published. Sorry for the delay.)

Hey, something strange happened last Friday!  When the door opened, it wasn’t Mrs. Bond.  It was a different lady.  I heard the kids calling her Mrs. Share.  They all seemed to know her, so she must be OK.  She said “hi” to everyone.  Some of the kids saw me right away.  They told Mrs. Share that I am here to watch the learning in the room.  Mrs. Share said she was nervous because I was watching her.  I was laughing…he he ha ha…

The kids had to go to a thing called PE.  I wish I could go because you get to wear special shoes called PE shoes.  I wonder if they are magical.  Are they flying shoes?  Anyway when the kids came back it was test time.  I don’t know how they kept it all straight.  Blue this and Yellow that.  Then Kalyn and Brandon got to use the computer behind me.  I hope I’m not in trouble. 

After the “BLUE/YELLOW test” the kids went to music.  I love music.  I wonder if they were singing “Elf in the Pointy Shoes” or “Red Is My Favorite Color”.  I love those songs.

The next activity was called TFK.  I heard so many good readers.  There was Gabby, Margeaux, and Lily, just to name a few.  A lot more kids read, but I was really interested in the stories.  I didn’t know jellyfish bloom!  And those field trips, should they be about learning or fun?  I just can’t decide. 

Oh no!  The kids are making a mess!  They called it desk organization, but it looks like room disorganization.  They were trying to clean up.  I hope they can do it.

Yumm! Brianna brought carrots back from lunch.  My bunny loves carrots.  I hope my mom remembers to feed her.  I miss my bunny.

I enjoyed lunch because I took a nap.  It’s hard work watching 25 students all day.  I’m really glad I took the nap at lunch cuz there was no sleeping during science.  It looked like the kids were learning all about different kinds of energy.  That means sound energy was noisy, light energy was bright, and electric energy had noisy motors too.  The quiet center was the one with the books.  Most of those kids went to the hall.  They knew it was easier to think in the quiet.  I liked watching science because everyone got to test the stuff.

Math made me laugh.  A man came in to get Mitchell.  Mitchell was with a lady.  Then the man asked if the students were taking a test.  They kind of laughed because they were working so quietly and diligently.  Mrs. Share gave them a flower note.  Ethan called it a shining moment.  I like that.  I like things that shine.

Ahhh!  Next came quiet reading time.  I saw Aidan, Katelyn, Julia, Spencer, and oh so many students enjoying their books.  I was jealous because I didn’t have a book with me to read.  (I should have brought the story Maddie wrote for me.  Mrs. Bond…if you read this, can you print it off for me?) The books at my house are smaller and easier for me to hold.  It seemed like all of the kids were getting smarter right then and there.  All of those wonderful words soaking right into their brains.  Oh how I love to see them learning!!!

Yahoooooo!  Mrs. Share read from The Secret Zoo.  I am so curious to find out what happens.  Will they find Megan?  Will the animals continue to help the friends?  This is so exciting!

George and Nick were sitting near me for Roses and Thorns.  They were so excited to share.  Then Kalyn and Margeaux did a little play.  I think they like having fun.

Oh, Boy! What I wonderful day I had in Mrs. Bond’s room.  It was a great Friday to see all of the learning going on.  I am ready to climb to new heights next week! 

Wow! A Story Written Just for Me!

I really, really love this class!  I get notes from them, they tell me things when they are walking by, and they are always keeping me in mind!  Like today, when one of the dad's came in to talk to the class about electric cars, they counted me as a student.  They were talking about how Ford employs over 200,000 people and Mr. Tinskey asked how many kids were in the class.  They said 25, but then someone said I was included, so 26.  How cute is that!  I sure did enjoy learning about electric cars and energy.  Electric cars don't make a sound like normal cars do, so they are actual finding ways to add sound to the car so people can hear them, especially people that are blind. It was very cool having him in the class, and I had the best view.  He brought in a Tesla Coil that actually was able to make a light bulb light up without plugging it into anything!
It was so nice of him to share his time with the class.  Speaking of sharing, I got an email from his daughter the other day.  She created a story just for me, as I told her that I love to read. I decided to share it with you too!  I hope you enjoy Maddie's story...I sure did!

Since you said you liked to read, I wrote you a story.....

The Learning Elf's Wonderful Place To Stay

Once upon a time,  on a cold crisp day, a learning elf named Elfran Etavonni was looking for a place to stay. The winds were high and Elfran did not no where to stay. He searched high and low for a warm place to spend the night. He came across a street called Macini street. He thought he might look to see if there was anything just ANYTHING to stay in for the night. But when he turned the corner onto Macini street he was in for a big surprise. Huge rainbows of gold and red painted the sky. The houses, more like castles where made of pure gold that caught the rays of the sun.....The sun???? It was WARM on Macini street. WARM!!! Elfran Etavonni strolled across the diamond road. Seeing people with wings and knights with real       e shining armor. Everyone greeted him nicely with huge grins with every tooth perfectly white. A princess even invited him into the palace for a nice dinner. Elfran Etavonni gladly excepted the invitation. His stomach was growling fiercely. The princess escorted him into the beautiful golden palace. On the table that was big enough for a whole school  to sit on was a huge salad that was 6 feet tall with tomatoes, onions, olives, carrots, and a magical veggie that was called Aka Oka. Also there was a huge chicken that was 7 feet wide and 4 feet tall. For drinks there was fruit smoothies. Made with honey, strawberrys, bananas, mangos, peaches, and of coarse, SUGER!!! Elfran Etavonni's mouth drooled as he looked at the HUGE feast. My names Samantha said the princess. My name is Elfran Etavonni said the learning elf. The princess and the elf dug into the meal. Elfran Etavonni ate only a part of a chicken leg and a few veggies and spinach. The princess ate 5 pieces of chicken and 2 bowls of salad. The reason the learning elf ate only a little bit, was because he was miniature. Elfran Etavonni yawned. Oh are you tired Mr. Elfran? Asked the princess. Yes I am. Said Elfran. The princess took Elfran to a room labeled quests. Inside there were small beds made of pure gold and cloudy mattresses and huge beds made with pure gold and cloudy mattresses to. The princess took  Elfran to the tiniest bed. It was big enough for a doll. Oh this is perfect! Said Elfron! Good! Said the princess. Then I shall leave you alone until morning. Elfran curled up in the bed and put the extra fluffy blanket on top of him and dozed right of into dream land. Dreaming of home.

The end!!!

Cheers to Great Learning!

Etavonni

Wreaths, Goals, and Coding! What a Week!

I heard one of the kids say that it is below zero today with wind chill!  On the announcements, the principal said there was a pair of gloves found in the parking lot.  I hope that child gets them, as today is not a day to be without gloves!  Yesterday I had a great view of the outside window, and there is a bit of snow on the ground and on the trees.  Winter really can be beautiful!

Speaking of beauty, you should see the wreaths hanging in the classroom.  I was so excited to see the kids create them again this year, as this was a highlight from my visit to Team Bond last year. The kids use fold-top baggies and tie them around a wired circle.

I didn't have time to tell you about the neat thing I observed on Tuesday.  Mrs. Bond said the kids were going to do Hour of Code.  I thought that meant perhaps they were learning about Morse Code or perhaps some type of spy project, but I soon learned that it meant computer programming.  Did you know there were sites for kids to learn how to code.  One that Mrs. Bond showed was Gamestar Mechanic.  The kids really thought it was neat that they would be able to design their own video game.  Another one she highlighted was Learn Street.  When she went on their from her Edmodo page (I still have to figure out if I can get on that site!) she went into the App Launcher and opened it up.  She was able to modify and create code to build a holiday card.  It was neat. She had some challenges, as she said she isn't familiar with coding, but overall it went well.  Yesterday, the kids went to computer lab and worked on code for an hour...thus, The Hour of Code.  I guess there were some issues with the site and kids lost their card before they could share it, but they were excited that they were able to learn how to code. I wonder if Mrs. Bond will keep doing this with them.  I sure would love to report this out to my team.

Oh, another thing I am going to share is Goal Time.  On Monday, the kids were able to bring in projects and work on anything they wanted for 40 minutes.  I watched kids crochet, draw, explore energy stations, and create fancy snowflakes. There was a girl that had the LONGEST yarn snake I have ever seen!  They used it to wrap around a corner of the classroom and create a spa.  Mrs. Bond even went into the spa and got a hand massage in a bucket of small rubber bands.  I thought that was pretty creative!

Overall, I am learning a lot!  From sources of energy to writing persuade, these kids are busy, busy, busy all day long!  I wonder what is going on in the other third grade classrooms.  I may have to explore a bit more next week.

Cheers!
Etavonni

A Lonely Weekend

I am bummed that I came at the end of the week.  I was just getting used to meeting the new members of Team Bond and then the weekend hit.  Boy, Glengary Elementary sure is quite when the staff and students are not there.  While it was quiet though, I had time to look around the classroom and the hall.  I took a rest in the mailbox in the hallway.  Perhaps this will be a good spot to keep in mind to hang out one day.

While I was out in the hall, I read over one of the bulletin boards.  There were many different posters that had examples of different ways you can be smart. Next to the posters was a huge graph that had kids names on it next to each poster.  I bet the kids had to figure out the type of smartness they use most.  I myself am more of a linguistic guy...a word smart kind of elf!  I love words!  That's why I love writing this blog.  

While writing this post I checked my email, and I just have to share with you an email I got from one of the students.  I actually got a couple emails from students.  How special is that! The student, who I'll call MT, asked me a ton of questions!  I love the curiosity of kids! I figure other kids may have the same questions, so I decided to copy the reply I created (in red text) for others to read.  I also got an email from the class with a ton of questions.  It is too late to answer all of the questions, so I am going to have to email Mrs. Bond back later on in the week.  For now, enjoy the email from MT. 

Wow MT!  You do love to write!  I am going to copy your email below and just reply to the questions in a different color...otherwise, I just know I will forget to answer some of your questions.  By the way, thank-you so much for the little note you put in the boat on Friday.  That was very kind of you. 

Hello class Elf! I'm MT and I'm in Team Bond. I want to welcome you back to team Bond! Will you stay with us until Christmas or longer? I am not sure what my schedule will be.  I know I have to make some stops in other classrooms, as I have some reports to turn in before all the schools leave for the holidays.  I may be able to stop back in after the new year.  It just depends on where I am assigned.  I'd LOVE if you would. I LOVE to read and write. What do you like to do for fun? I am like you, I love to read.  I enjoyed reading this weekend.  Your teacher has a lot of books.  There was a book called Snowmen at Night, and it reminded me of what I do.  During the day I have to be really still, but then at night the magic happens. Do you play any games? No. I don't play many games. I travel alone mostly, so it is hard to play games. What are they called? I'd love to talk to you and see you move. Do you like GA and JG's boat that you were sitting in?Yes, I found their boat to be a perfect fit for me.  It was just the right size.   Or did the spike ball scare you? The spike ball was a bit crazy, but I was OK with it. Josh made me a little nervous with it, but it worked out OK. How do you eat? I usually pick something up to eat when I do my reports.  I really don't have to eat a lot, being little and all.  Don't you get awfully hungry? Will you help me finish my river story? No, I am sorry.  I cannot help you with your assignment.  That is your job.  I am sure you will be able to get it done.  It is on top of my desk. My desk is the third desk at table one and it has a name tag on it that says ______. Are you scared of us? Not at all.  You all are so kind.  I have never received so many notes before.  I even got a nickel wrapped up in paper.  Do you know if I'm on the naughty list? I am not sure.  I don't really have anything to do with the big guy in the North Pole. I grew up an educational elf...learning elf.  So we aren't really connected, other than the fact we look the same as the elves that report to Santa.  My brother and sister would LOVE to meet you. Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have a brother that is visiting a preschool building as a learning elf.  Maybe I can have him send Team Bond a photo of what he is observing.  I know some kids had questions if there were other learning elves out there.  I have another brother that is in a first grade classroom too. Thank you SO much for coming to our classroom. What did you do over the weekend? Funny you should mention that.  I just jumped on the computer to add a blog entry, and then I checked my email.  I probably should get back to my blog entry.  In fact...I may just have to add this to my blog.  I bet the other kids would want to read some of these things too.  I left you a note, it is the neon green one. Please respond to it. I have many more questions to ask you but I have to get ready for bed. Thank you for reading this email! Bye until Monday!!!  Yes, in a few short hours you and your classmates will be here!  I am looking forward to seeing you again! 

Ps.you should create an account for edmodo on the computer. Then you could post things to team Bond!!!  Can you tell me more about this Edmodo? How would I get an account?  I know I heard Mrs. Bond talk about putting things on Edmodo, but I am not sure if it is something that I can do.  Maybe you can ask her for me. 

Happy Learning!

Etavonni the Elf 

The Michigan River Boats and Notes!

I was able to sneak on Mrs. Bond's computer while she was out of the class.  I think she was meeting with a mom, as I noticed a woman come in right before the kids left the room.  I already have been given lots of notes by the kids.  What a warm welcome to Team Bond!

Look at some of the notes that I got! 

Like I said before, the boats turned out great.  I am looking at a table with some on them from my view in the boat. 

 I wonder what they learned about Michigan rivers and the Great Lakes?  If Team Bond would like to email me, my email address is learningelf@gmail.com.  I will try to sneak on a computer and answer you back! 

Cheers to Learning, 

Etavonni

Back in Team Bond!

Wow!  I decided to rejoin Mrs. Bond and her class, aka Team Bond, and I watched from inside the closet yesterday.  The kids were working on Michigan river projects, and they were building boats.  Holy cow!  Craft materials were everywhere, kids were working in partnerships, creativity was thriving!  I enjoyed it so much, I decided to take a closer look at some of the boats last night.  In fact, I found a spot to hang out for the day. 

The kids noticed me this morning right away.  Many of them thought that someone brought their Elf on the Shelf  to school.  Mrs. Bond thought so too, but then I think she remembered me!  Perhaps I will be able to sneak the computer again and add some photos!  You just have to see the great boats the kids have made.