Marty Mouse

The idea of Marty Mouse was born in the fall of 1998, when I took a course on children's literature from Brandon University. First Marty was to learn about textures, but when I was unsure how textures could be incorporated into a book, I decided to switch to shapes instead. Once I had a story written I wondered who could I get to illustrate it and promptly remembered Cynthia, then from Crystal, and her artistic abilities. I had taken a course at Crystal a few years previously, where I had seen samples of her cute whimsical work and felt her style would be a good fit for my story.  I contacted her about teaming up to create I book and she readily agreed.
After sending my story to numerous children's book publishers and receiving just as many rejection slips, my manuscript together with Cynthia's lovely illustrations were stuffed into the bottom of a drawer and  forgotten for almost ten years.

 Marty's Adventure

Finally their time came!  HB Book Centre canvassed the Hutterite community for books to publish. Someone remembered Marty Mouse; therefore, our first book, Marty's Adventure, was published and launched at ICHE 2008- in Canmore, Alberta. In this first book Marty scampers around Lizzie's house looking for food and discovers shapes.
Since then I've frequently asked myself, "What did I know about writing back then?"

Marty's Colours Adventure

Marty's Colours Adventure was launched at ICHE 2010.  In this book Marty ransacks the Kuchel for edibles and discovers the world of colour.

 

 

Marty's Counting Adventure

And now, in 2014, Marty learns to count! This time he counts his way around the colony and we're hoping to launch this final book in our Marty trilogy at the ICHE conference in August.

Would you like a free copy of this book?  What is Marty finding to count around the colony? Check out the illustrations on Cynthia's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.stahl.92 . In fact, she includes a stanza or two of the story to give you a head start. Leave your answers in the comments section below.  All contributor's names will be entered in a draw.  Ready, get set, GO!
Contest closes August 10, 2014. Winner's name will be posted on this blog page by August 12th.

See you at https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.stahl.92

Father's Day

Frequently here at Brennan School we seem to put more of an emphasis on Mother's Day than Father's Day.  This year that was not the case, for we created several different projects to celebrate the occasion...

 

If it Weren't For You / I Like, But I don't Like...

  In ELA class our grades 1 - 7 students wrote poems for their dad's using models from "For The Love of Language.  This book is a no-fail treasury of poetry writing scaffolds suitable for all ages.

Kindergarten DAD Photos

The idea for our kindergartens' project came from the blog of "That Artist Woman":  http://www.thatartistwoman.org/2013/06/easy-fathers-day-project.html
We had our Ks pose with cardboard letters to spell DAD.  We  hoped to print the photos in sepia, but weren't able to get a clear resolution, so we opted for colour.  Next, we mod-podged them to a stained (thanks Jared) piece of wood. 
(I can't quite figure our how to rotate this photo)
I had to try out the project, so I did one for my brother, so the pics you see are my niece and nephews.

 

 

 

Key Rings for Dad

On Pinterest I found something different for a card - key holders that explain why our students love their dads. http://www.thetaylor-house.com/fathers-day-craft-keychain/
We collected paint samples from some of the local hardware stores.  For rings I found small wire shower curtain rings at Dollarama and tada... here's our project.

 

 

 

 

  Bird Houses

And last, but certainly not least, the gift we presented to each family on the colony whether there's a father in residence or not... bird houses.  Herby, our German teacher had a couple in his classroom.  He had purchased the kits at Dollarama. Robert, our grades 4 - 7 teacher measured it up and we asked our carpenter to bring us a soft lumber. Next, Robert and Kris, one of our high school students took it to the shop and in short order they were back with dozens of parts to assemble into birdhouses.  After gluing them together, we took them back to the shop for a few coats of varnish to make them more durable.  We look forward to hearing about all the feathered families that will be moving into them.

Creating with Clay

As part of our art program, we applied for and recieved a SmArts grant through our school division.  This year our focus is working with clay.
For the first three sessions, the art instructor, Gabrielle Neuschwander, came to our school to teach our K - 8 students techniques on creating heart-shaped and round dishes, owls and three-heart hooks.  What impressed me the most about these projects was that once you know the basic technique, they are relatively simple to make for all ages.

  Heart-Shaped Bowl

1) Roll out a piece of clay to about a 1/4 inch thickness.  To make them multi-coloured, both brown and gray clay is used either in a marble effect or grey clay of various shapes was added on top of brown clay, then rolled into a single piece with a rolling pin.
2) Cut out a heart, using a large heart-shaped cookie cutter (about 15 cm in diameter).
3) For texture, lay a doily or other material on the clay and roll the rolling pin over it.
4) Position a small (about 7 cm) hard clay heart in the centre of the large heart and push don as far deep as the sponge allows.  Pushing down gives the dish its raised edge.

Every students, no matter what their ability, was successful and happy with their projects!

Potters' Wheel

Our final three clay art sessions took place at the Portage Arts Centre.  Students continued receiving instructions on hand-building with clay.  In addition, they had their first experience at the potter's wheel.  Watching Gabe demonstrate the technique gave us the impression it was totally effortless and that she makes the clay do whatever she wants.  However, we quickly learned that was not the case.  As one adult students said, "When I try, they clay does with me what it wants."

Nonetheless, here too under Gabe's expert instructions and guidance, each student managed to create a lovely dish.

Multiplication Table

In grade 3 students are required to"demonstrate and understanding of multiplication to 5 x 5 by representing and explaining multiplication using equal groups and arrays."

 

Multiplication Match

Typically when I teach this unit I have my students build arrays and match them with repeated addition and multiplication sentences.

 

Grid Paper Charts

 I've also had them create multiplication charts using grid paper.

 

Commercial Array Charts

Commercial array charts are available and since I have several in my classroom, I've cut one up for students to assemble. For some students building this array can be rather difficult.

 

 Area Blocks Chart

This year I added a stepping store between the matching activities and creating multiplication charts: I had my students first build the charts using area blocks and number cards.









When it came time for the students to create their own paper charts, it was apparent that first building the "area blocks" made this final step easier for some students.  After they finished gluing, I had them write the products on the green arrays.  One student quickly piped up, "I get the pattern. Row 1 is counting by 1s, row 2 by 2s and so on."
Always nice to hear kids verbalize that the "get it."

Mother's Day

Most great art projects are never created in a single session!
Last year for Mother's Day my friend Sandra told me her class was making bath bombs for all their mothers.  Since then. I decided that my class would be making some this year.  A few of our ladies have been making them, so I know I could probably tap into their expertise
When I visited Sandra a few weeks ago, she showed me the lovely little woven basket in which they presented their bath bombs in.  I knew it would be too late for me to attempt anything like that, so I had to come up with something else.

Wooden "Crates" 

Hence, my grades 4 - 7 art class spent an art period creating little wooden "crates".  Robert, our grades 4 - 7 teacher cut about 100 2" x 3" rectangles for us.  Our EA Stephanie and high school student, Alex helped the grades 1 - 7 students hand-sand the edges and corners.  
The next part was somewhat intricate and frustrating: creating the bottoms of the crates. The students worked in pairs.  One student held the two rectangles with the long edges on the table.  The other students applied a bead of white glue along the top 3 inch edge and joined them by placing 4 popsicle sticks on the glue.  More times than not, the entire project fell to pieces as the students moved it from one spot to the next.  We left those to set during recess, which made the next part easier.  The sides of the crates consisted of gluing 3 popsicle sticks on each side.  My grades 1 - 3 class stuffed each crate with a handful of Easter grass to provide a soft cushion for our bombs.

Bath Bombs 

Making bath bombs requires dry weather and the week prior to Mother's Day was cold, rainy and windy; therefore, we couldn't create them in time for Mother's Day.  To insure that our moms wouldn't think they were forgotten, my students lovingly created cards to send home.  They decorated them as they wished, but each of them was inscribed with the following verse:
This card for you is just to say,
A little card is on the way.

The Thursday after Mother's Day was a beautiful warm, sunny day and we were eager to get started on our project.  Rosie, Robert's wife and my sister Sonia agreed to come share their time, experience and expertise.  Our home ec room was a bee hive of activity with the grades 4 - 7 students, Robert, Stephanie, my sister Sonia and myself each taking on a portion of the project:
Sonia's group was in charge of measuring
Robert manned the blender - mixing baking soda, citric acid and Epsom salt until it stuck together when squeezed into a ball.
Meanwhile I mixed food colouring with coconut oil.

As soon as the mixture was emptied out of the blender, my coloured coconut oil.  Stephanie added the essential oils and  Rosie hand mixed it all until well blended.  She and Stephanie then scooped  handfuls into heart-shaped molds.  The students did the final squeezing together of the 2 sides of the molds and seconds later popped them onto towels spread out on table.  After each batch they would exclaim over the shape, texture, colour or scent of our creations.  The table was a sea of pastel hearts!  The most difficult part of the process for the students was not to touch the bombs after they were laid on the table.  Rosie kept warning us that touching them before they were cured could cause "warts" to grow on them.  (The moisture on our hands could start disolving them, thereby creating unsightly lumps.)

Pack it Up!

 The next day each heart was individually wrapped in saran, then placed in the crates in pairs.  Each lady would be receiving one lavender and one orange scented heart.  The crates were Cello-wrapped and tied with curling ribbon with a personalized gift tag added as a finishing touch.
    

Delivery!

The gifts were packed on a laundry cart and hand delivered to all the families on our colony by our Kindergarten to grades 7 students.

Where in the World are we?

As a culminating activity for my "My Environment" social studies unit, I used an idea from Pinterest.  This was an ideal way for them to show all the groups they are a part of. (see link)

 Where in the world  I made a minor adaptation: I changed town to colony on the fourth page.  The page in the book are as follows:
1. student

Individual pages from "Where in the World are we?"

2. my class standing in front of our school
3. child standing in front of his/her house
4. aerial view of our colony (Google maps is a wonderful resource to show all pages in this book form colony to planet Earth)  I'm not sure whom to credit, but someone did a fabulous job of pinning each colony... see link Colonies on Google Maps
I'm not sure who is more excited about this, my students or me?!
5. map of Manitoba
6. map of Canada
7. planet Earth  

 The first sentence of each page was generic e.g: I live in the province of Manitoba.  Each student then  composed a second or third sentence, adding another detail about 

Where in the World are we?

My friend Kathy My Spare Moments did something similar using this Pinterest idea:
Me on the Map 
Perhaps she will share exactly how she used and adapted it.

Schuel Stoff: Land of the Silver Birch

Schuel Stoff: Land of the Silver Birch: Another Social Studies Post In SS students learn about their province and country and also symbols of the two.  After taking a UDL (Univer...