Geocaching!!!!

Wow! I did not know a scavenger hunt could be so much fun!  Wednesday was the first time I heard about geocaching and I am still amazed by it.  I think it is amazing that there are so many caches around our area  and EVERYWHERE!  Maybe when I finally graduate, I will have a new hobby.  :)

Almost the end of October

WOW!  Where does time go?  Can you believe that it is almost November?  Before we know it, Block will be over.  I just can't believe it. 
     I was in my 2nd grade classroom Thursday and learned something very disturbing.  My teacher left for the day and it was just me and the teacher's aid.  I have learned that Social Studies is not very important in the classroom and is not incorportated much in the classroom either, but today we were going to spend 25 whole minutes on it.  So the children got their books out and opened it to the correct page.  We were looking at maps and map keys.  The map key consisted of a star which was for capitals, a star with a circle around for the national capital, and a dark line for boarders.  The first question that we asked the class was, "Can anyone tell me Tennessee's state capital?"  The children begin calling out anwsers, "Johnson City," "Kingsport," "Elizabethton."  Not one child knew the correct anwser.  We also asked, "What is the National capital?"  Again, not one of the children knew the correct anwser.  The children laughed because they didn't know the anwsers, but it really upset me.  I think knowing about our country is very important! I will remember this and when I have my own classroom, I will make sure I teach Social Studies for more than 25 minutes every couple weeks.

Fall Break

                   It is fall break.  I have so much to do and I am having trouble doing any of it! 
I really enjoyed doing "block city" this week.  Our town is named Diverse City.  We have continents as road names and we have all the necessities in our town.  This "city" is a wonderful learning tool for children and it can be used all school year.  Children can learn about direction, latitude, longitude, how a city is governed, rules, regulations, and so much more.  This activity can also be combined with other subjects, such as math and language arts. 

Social Studies this week

     I really enjoyed the activities we did in Social Studies this week.  I think plays are wonderful ways to experience and engage in specific events from history.  I think children would love doing this activity; I know that I did.  I also think the history booklet we made is a great hands-on activity.  This is a good way for children to understand the concept of a timeline.  This is a very benificial activity to do at the beginning of the school year, in which the students are able to learn about one another.