09 April, 2014

Bonding and Branding

Just a quick little note or NOT...to let you in on what I have been up to...

The FIRST round of testing is dunno and soon the 2nd round will be here...
I have felt like a mamma bird shoving knowledge and strategies down my poor little baby birds throats...
so we had to have a little fun...
what better way to break the monotony than to do a craftivity... HOLLA

I have a very hard time fitting in Texas History...
sooooooo... this year I do Texas Tuesday... and every Tuesday...
OKAY most Tuesdays... we do Texas History during our writing/reading block
it has worked well...
so we just finished cattle drives and the cattle industry in Texas...
we might be a little behind... we really liked the Alamo and may have spent a little too much time on that...
and now that I think of it... we lost at the Alamo so why we liked it so much not sure...
BUT we did spend and insane amount of time... or an insane amount of Tuesdays learning about the ALAMO...
when they leave me they will
REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!


BUT... back to our cattle drives...
what goes hand in hand with cattle drives and the invention of barbed wire????
BRANDS...
the kiddos had to develop their own brands using 4 pipe cleaners...
after we looked at the Texas requirements and rules for creating a brand...
the kids took their brands and had to fill out a very generic application...
so generic... not gonna even show you...
they had to dip their brand in black paint and apply it to the application..
basically had to fit into the size of a post-it
they also had to ...
 name the rancher
the ranch name (brand is based on this)
location of ranch
meaning behind the brand...
and letters, numbers, and symbols used
anyways after getting their brand approved...
they made a cow rump and branded it....
THEY LOVED THIS...
 sorry it is blurry but I had recycled paper available for them to test out their brand before applying to their cow rump...
 little stinker... caught her filling in the gaps with her finger...
she is a perfectionist and that is ok

 we braided black yarn for a tail... they needed tails...
 she wanted to have utters on her cow...
and then others had to follow....


alrighty...
we might be
BEHIND in Texas History...
BUTT we had a COWabunga fun time
branding our cow rumps!!!


*********** squirrel ********

 My district started a wellness program where they challenged us to go get active...
my school started a walking group...
our first walk was on Monday...
yeppers...
we started off right after school and walked in the VERY HILLY neighborhood that feeds into our school
 do you see those storm clouds. in the above pic..
we really didn't think anything of it...
and then...
 about mile one in... we noticed the STORM was building...
and building... and building...
and then at mile 1.50
it started to RAIN...
and rain hard... BIG BIG BIG drops...
BIG DROPS...
I started running...
did I mention that thunderstorms freak me out...
I hate them!!!!
I was running faster than I have ever hauled my bootay...
I was a blurrrrrrr

 that is a selfie of me running in the RAIN... see I am a blurrrrr
mile 1.9
right before...
THUD...
something hit my head...
a tiny white ball of ICE....
 HAIL!!!!
it started off a little slow...
and then it just POURED HAIL!!!
NO LIE...
we got smart...
the pic below is a lot of the group hiding under a patio at the dentist's office
it was CRAY TO THE CRAY CRAZEEEEE
and seriously the school is right around the corner...
RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER

at the first thought the hail was letting up...
Shelley and I ran for it to the school
BUT...
was the hail over????
HAIL NO!!!!
it hailed on us all the way back to the school...
those that finished before us...
were on the patio of the school yelling and cheering us on!!!!
it was amazing!!!
it was heart-warming
and then of course...I had to take a pic of me and Shelley
that is us... wet and wild in the above pic...



and here we are...
not all of us...
but some of us...
all wet and BONDED...


this crazy experience really did create bonds
I mean how many people can say...
 one time my walking group at school
walked in a hail storm...
not many
I feel closer to these girls just because of that.
I can't wait for this Monday!!!

The fitness challenge has us competing against other schools in our district...
we are the tiniest school BY FAR
we are competing against the high schools and middle schools and other elementary schools...
but BUT BUT... HOLLA!!!!
as of right now we are in 4th place...
pretty good for our teeny tiny school
we are 200 miles behind the 1st place team...
BUT
we are pretty competitive so needless to say...
we are HAIL bent on moving up to 1st!!!

and tonight I did my part...
I did 3 miles with my crew!!!
I am at 8 miles for the week :)
OH YEAH!!!


TOODLES