With all of the academic rigor I have decided this year to have some exploration time. Every Friday I give my students 30-35 minutes of playtime. Today two kids constructed this totally awesome carwash!!!! I thought that it was beautiful and creative. :-) They worked together brilliantly and collaborated on ideas. Exactly why I believe exploration time is needed. 

HAND-SIGNAL-HELP: As teachers we have all had that moment when we think that we are getting through to that one student. We see the hand go up and in our head we say, “YES, yes, I am the world greatest teacher”. Then the reality sets in when the student politely asks, “Can I go to the bathroom?”  After being burned a number of times I decided to establish hand signals for the bathroom and water fountain at the beginning of the year. The students know to silently put up a signal. They will receive a head nod in return. No questions asked. They also have learned not to ask if something new is being taught. The smart ones have quickly caught on to asking during transitional times; they usually receive a yes nod. ;-) 

Teaching Fractions the Fun Way: When I teach fractions to young children for the first time we make really cute pizza. You need two of the white inexpensive paper plates per child. I then print out a crust and circle. I let each child decorate their pizza. Some like pepperoni some just like cheese (I like peppers). Next the kids cut out their pizza and glue it down on one of their plates. Place a plate under the plate with the pizza and cut a line through both  plates to the center. The plates rotate and you can ask for different sizes, “show me a quarter of a pie”. Try it. :-)