"Make new friends but keep the old..."

This Girl Scout song popped into my head today. I'm a hoarder when it comes to anything that could be used with my students (what teacher isn't right). Well, recently I've been cleaning house. I inherited about two filing cabinets full of "STUFF" from the previous teacher who taught in my room. I've been going "NEW, NEW, NEW" in my head all week!

Today, I ran across this little gem:

This is a binder that came with a Math Manipulatives kit that I bought about 6 years ago for my very first (awe how sweet :) Elementary Mathematics college course.

I have been wracking my brain trying to figure out individual math activities for my kiddos to do during our math workshop......I didn't want to reinvent the wheel and I didn't want to pay a fortune, but I wanted research-based objective oriented activities FAST! (every teacher's dilemma). Then, out of the back of my trunk (never know what you'll find there) this baby appeared!

I'm so in love! It gives recommendations for all kinds of fun (research-based) activities to do using the Cuisenaire manipulatives! I'm in the process of creating a bunch of individualized, colorful, kid-friendly activities. Here's a freebie: Rod Addition

Look for more at my store (i'm a newbie so be nice :)
Miss Spivey's Store

SOOOOO.....My math workshop is the new friend and my manipulatives kit is the old friend. Funny that the new would never be possible without the old....lesson learned???? perhaps :) HAPPY MONDAY!

Picture This:

The sun is high, its heat a warming sensation that you can feel as you lift your face to its rays. A smile slowly stretches across your face. A breeze tangy with the salts of the earth hits your smile and you start walking. You're floating, your body is nubile, coasting on the summer sky, yet you can feel each grain of sand between your toes. You feel confident, happy, able to reach out and grab anything you want. BOING! A mass of synthetic material hits you right in the face. You're collapsed on the wet sand which now feels more like a grainy lotion that's spreading across your body. You sit up and realize everyone who was playing sand volleyball is now trying not to laugh at the person sprawled on the surf.

We've all been there...literally....well no. But come on, who hasn't felt like the king (queen) of the world and then the next minute....ehhhh not so royal. That's life, one minute you're on top of the world, the next you're an ostrich with its head in the sand.

That's what my experience has been in education. I've had some really high, highs and some really low, lows. But aren't the lows what make us appreciate the high moments? Maybe that's too philosophical, all I know is this:

• I will be starting my second year as a second grade teacher in 5 days.
• I have a room that literally has tables on end....
• I have goals in mind that would make Hercules' efforts seem small
• And I have a dirty apartment.

It's a crazy quest that we've taken, we teachers that is. Join me on this journey, and perhaps we can keep that sunny smile stretched wide a little longer and keep our ostrich feathers a little less ruffled!

Welcome to Struts and Stumbles, A Glimpse into Second Grade :)