Field Day!

Today was a successful day!

First of all, I'm proud to say that I actually got up EARLY and went to swim! I know... I couldn't believe it myself! :) Swimming has been a little off lately due to some shoulder issues that I've been having for the past month or so AND a lack of energy to make it to the pool. But today... I vowed to go. I packed up everything last night that I would need for today. Not easy considering I packed to leave the house at 5am and not return until 8pm, but I made myself do it. AND even got to bed at a decent hour, so I was off to a good start.

After a good swim this morning and a soy latte to make it all worthwhile, I was off to school!

I spent my morning constructing a hallway display on the barn owl. We're studying endangered species at the moment and each first grade class has a different animal so we can all learn about many different ones. Our class is the barn owl. It's been awhile since I've done this, so things started off a little rusty, but before I knew it I had gotten back into the swing of things and found myself adding more and more stuff out there to make it look "good!" Ok, so it might not be great compared to some of the others, but I was proud of it.

The idea started with a big drawing of an owl and an informational poster. Then I had the students color their own individual owls and after talking about it with one of my parent volunteers, we decided a tree would be a nice touch and then we could hang their owls on the tree. THEN... while lying in bed the other night, it hit me to make it more like a nightime scene since the owl is nocturnal. Why is it that work ideas come to you while trying to fall asleep or while you are in the shower?? :) So I ended up adding a black backdrop with a moon and stars, a big owl that one of the parapros drew that is awesome! I put the information about the owl on clouds and had a big tree with all of their cute owls all over it. That is how I spent my morning!

Then it was off to Field Day.... Survivor style! That was the theme for this year. So my afternoon was spent guiding 17 1st graders through 17 different challenges. It was very cute, very creative, and very exhausting! :) I'd post photos, but I don't have permission, so I won't, but I'll see if I can get a picture of my display!

What's funny about it is that it honestly isn't that great! ha ha!! I once got stuck creating an entire hallway jungle for a 1st grade team while I was student teaching. It was a monumental project and one that I wasn't quite pleased about. So maybe that is why when I learned I had another hallway project to create it kind of scared me and since it turned out OK, I'm like happy about it! :) Hey, we should celebrate all the little successes, right??!! :)