The Smitizen News... » Uncategorized http://mrssmits.edublogs.org A place to see all the learning and FUN that is going on... Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:08:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 Gift Ideas http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/12/06/gift-ideas/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/12/06/gift-ideas/#comments Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:08:23 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=557 christmas_snoopy-11420I have a wonderful friend that is a principal in Hudsonville and she find the most interesting things and posts them on her blog. Today I was reading her blog and came across a list that you might enjoy. It is the five hottest educational gifts for Christmas. She got her list from Google Tutor. I hope you all enjoyed the snow day and could play in the snow! I know we did! See you all soon!

Here is the list…

1. The Amazon Kindle Although not technically a “toy”, the Amazon Kindle is the perfect educational gadget for anyone age 12 and over. Download thousands of books directly to the Kindle and the fact that it cannot be used for anything but reading ensures your teen is actually expanding his or her literary horizon when they are staring at the screen. You can also upload PDF files, and stay on top of the news with the Kindle.

2. The Wii fit is a great gift for the whole family. The Wii Fit can be used by anyone, with any fitness level and of any age, making it one of the best family gifts! Not only can you learn from the Wii, kids will stay fit, focused and active throughout the winter. This is the perfect holiday gift that actually gets kids off the couch.

3. Lego Ultimate Building Set: the Ultimate creative and educational gift Lego sparks the imagination of all age groups. Kids get creative, learn to play together, and learn to use their imagination when playing with Lego. The Lego Ultimate Building Set has all the pieces needed for hours of play time and lots of creative fun. Lego is also one of those timeless gifts that everyone loves, and boys and girls alike have played with Lego for a few generations. It’s a gift that lasts a lifetime, and that is also why it is in this list of favorites.

4. Playskool Talking Truck The Playskool Chuck my Talking Truck speaks over 40 phrases and words. It is the perfect gift to keep little ones entertained for hours, and help them practice their verbal skills. The coolest part of this toy is that it will start driving when it is called. It will talk when you lift his dump bed, press his bumper, or press the top of the truck, making play time discovery (and learning!) time.

5. Snapp Circuits SC-300 This toy isn’t just my favorite, it also has the National Parenting Center Seal of Approval, was named the Dr. Toy 100 Best Children’s Products, and is among the Dr. Toy Best Educational Products. With Snapp Circuits you get over 60 parts that can easily snap together to create alarms, doorbells, burglar alarms, radio, and over 3oo other fun technology projects. Kids with a heart for tech will love this educational toy! It is without a doubt one of the best educational toys, for both boys and girls who like to create fun electronic projects. Although kids get to play with circuits and build projects, they can do this safely without a risk of injury. The toy comes with a manual showing how to create the 305 possible projects. This is definitely not a toy kids get bored with easily.

]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/12/06/gift-ideas/feed/ 0 Happy Thanksgiving and Countdown http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/22/happy-thanksgiving-and-countdown/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/22/happy-thanksgiving-and-countdown/#comments Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:35:50 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=550 thanksgiving

Hello Everyone!
I am having a hard time believing that Thanksgiving is in just a few short days and Christmas is right around the corner. I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and can find some time to relax and enjoy loved ones. I am blessed and thankful for all of you, my students, and families of Spring Lake Public Schools. What a great community we live in.

As for looking ahead… I have added a Christmas Countdown “widget” to the right side of our blog, so stop back often for the countdown…

Also, we only have two half days this week, so it will be short and go fast!

Enjoy!

]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/22/happy-thanksgiving-and-countdown/feed/ 0 Moon Study http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/19/moon-study/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/19/moon-study/#comments Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:06:55 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=543 moon

We have been working hard at learning all we can about the moon. It is so fascinating! Here are some great websites to visit. One website is a calendar that how shows the different phases the moon will go through during the month of November. So interesting! Enjoy!

November’s “Moon Calendar”

Watch the Phases Here…

Cool Moon Facts

Interesting Moon Facts

]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/19/moon-study/feed/ 1 A HUGE Thank You! http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/16/a-huge-thank-you/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/16/a-huge-thank-you/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:23:37 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=540 The “All-Stars” from Room 12 would like to thank the Szewczyk family for their GENEROUS donation of three brand new bean bags for Reader’s Workshop! We LOVE them! Thanks again!

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]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/16/a-huge-thank-you/feed/ 0 Where does the Time Go? http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/16/where-does-the-time-go/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/16/where-does-the-time-go/#comments Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:55:17 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=537 Oh my! We have been doing SO much, but the time is getting away from me. Where do I start? I guess I will just tell you all that we have been going to the Aquatic Center for our PE lessons and it has been great! The students are working on their swimming skills and getting some free time at the pool. It is great…

The other big news is that we have a mobile lab of laptops that we have been using. We are hoping to post our first project here this week, so stay tuned… We have 24 laptops and everyone had an opportunity to use them. They will be a wonderful addition to our curriculum!

Check out the pictures below and come back to visit our blog often…

]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/16/where-does-the-time-go/feed/ 0 Multiplication Practice http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/11/multiplication-practice/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/11/multiplication-practice/#comments Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:23:19 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=535 Yes, it is true… I have lots of pictures to share, but I promised the kids that I would post some multiplication sites that they can use to get prepared for Friday. We have set some goals about how to practice and master our math facts… Here are some sites for them to use. Go kids Go!

Multiplication Practice – 4th Grade

Multiplication Problems – Timed

Another Multiplication Site

]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/11/multiplication-practice/feed/ 0 Halloween Fun! http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/03/halloween-fun/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/03/halloween-fun/#comments Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:34:10 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=532 Friday was filled with rain, candy, energy, and fabulous costumes! We had a great day and it all ended with a wonderful parade (lead by the three blind mice) and terrific party. The kids had a really good time and we all appreciated the time and energy that was put it to it by the parents. Thanks to all who made it special for the kids. Here are some photos of us in action…

]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/11/03/halloween-fun/feed/ 0 Halloween Schedule http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/10/29/halloween-schedule/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/10/29/halloween-schedule/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:47:14 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=528 Tomorrow is the day that we will have our costume parade and classroom party. Students should not wear their costumes to school. Look below to see the afternoon schedule…

halloween

1:45 Put costumes on
2:00 All School Parade
2:20-2:50 School-wide Double Recess
2:50-3:25 Classroom Party

Thanks to everyone that is helping, sending things in, etc.! We could not do it without you! A big thanks to Mrs. Kelly for organizing our event!

]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/10/29/halloween-schedule/feed/ 1 H1N1 District News http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/10/21/h1n1-district-news/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/10/21/h1n1-district-news/#comments Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:20:26 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=524 Hello everyone. I have really enjoyed talking with all of you about your wonderful children this week. Please see the note sent out to parents about the district’s information on H1N1. Have a great night!

Click on the link below…
Supt_letter_October_09[1]

]]> http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/10/21/h1n1-district-news/feed/ 0 Fluency http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/10/16/fluency/ http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/2009/10/16/fluency/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:19:22 +0000 mrssmits http://mrssmits.edublogs.org/?p=521 We have been working hard this week in Reader’s Workshop. Our main focus has been fluency. We have worked on what it sounds like to be a fluent reader. The fabulous students in this room know that reading fast does not make a fluent reader. They know that you need pausing, phrasing, stress, intonation, rate, and it all should be integrated when they read aloud. They are all doing a great job.

To practice fluency, each child is responsible for practicing reading a picture book that they will record themself reading aloud. We will be sharing these wonderful podcasts soon, so watch for them to come… They also wrote book reviews for each of the books and had their picture taken with the book. You can read those at conferences. I have included their pictures today. Some kids even dressed up for the photo session! What a great group of fluent readers I have!

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