I'm linking up with TBA for a great pinning party!
Check out all of the Dr. Seuss ideas on Pinterest!
      http://pinterest.com/melissavecchio/seuss/

My favorite Dr. Seuss activity is making OobLeck!

Photo courtesy of Pinterest recipe from about.com

1. Mix 1 part water with 1.5 to 2 parts cornstarch. 
2. You may wish to start with one cup of water and one and a half cups of cornstarch, then work in more cornstarch if you want a more 'solid' oobleck.
3.  It will take about 10 minutes of mixing to get nice homogeneous oobleck.
4. Mix in a few drops of food coloring if you want colored oobleck.

What You Need:

• water
• corn starch
• food coloring (optional)

Did You Know?

1. Oobleck is a type of non-Newtonian fluid called a dilatant.

1. If you slowly lower your hand into oobleck, it will sink, but it is difficult to quickly remove your hand (without taking all the oobleck and its container with you).
2. If you squeeze or punch the oobleck, the starch particles will not move out of the way quickly, so the oobleck will feel solid.
3. Oobleck can be molded in a container, but when the mold is removed, the oobleck will lose its shape.

great math $ money $ activities

I found an amazing blog..E is for Explore.
You have to stop by and check it out!
There are tons of math/science/art 
hands-on activities & projects!
I think I'm in love!
http://eisforexplore.blogspot.com/search/label/money
Here are some cute money activities that I used in 
my classroom this past week!

My favorite is this flip book!

I Just started following Lauren Conrad on Pinterest!
 Exciting!  oh yeah..and I'm extremely happy that my vacAtion has started! (huge smile)..

Lauren Conrad on Pinterest!http://pinterest.com/laurenconrad1/

pretty- peplums

Peplums..were popping up all over the runways!










   

pep·lum: (pplm)

1. a short overskirt or ruffle attached at the waistline of a jacket,blouse,or dress.

Peplums are showing up on everything….
from tops to jackets, 
dresses to skirts…
It looks like it's going to be a major trend for  
Spring & Summer!

from Jason Wu to Chanel

The peplum can be hugely flattering, it can create curves just as easily as it can cover them.

These exaggerated curves date back to the 1800's from the ancient Greek "peplos".
Through the years peplums have been mostly found in haute couture, but the nipped waist and flared or ruffled fabric sprouting out- made itself known among very trendy designers & celebrities this year and it looks like the peplum is here to stay!


What do you think of the peplum trend?

DVF collection!

I am so excited for Fashion Week! 
that means "fashion" posts 
       all week here on..
Teaching Fashionista
Today my exciting news is:
  Diane von Furstenberg, 
the popular womenswear designer and creator of the iconic wrap dress of the 1970s, is partnering with 
Gap Kids to design a collection 
of minified wrap dresses! It will be the first time the designer has created a line for children.
You can view the entire collection here:
http://www.flare.com/fashion/gallery/54345?index=9


"It is timeless…colourful…effortless. 
That is very DVF," shared the designer. 
Starting at only $23, this bright collection will surely be a hit for kids, 
stylish Moms and those who avid fashion followers who can fit in XXL for kids.                             

WWD reports that the capsule collection for

 Gap Kids and Baby Gap will go on sale 
March 15, 2012 and will include adorable,
 printed dresses and rompers, swimsuits,
 t-shirts  and accessories for
 babies and girls from ages 2 to 14.

A new twist on teaching Fables

Tonight I was continuing my quest to find 
new & different ways to teach fables, and look at what I've stumbled upon! (amazingggg!) 
I can't wait to read it to the kiddos!
Squids Will Be Squids is full of brand-new, modern fables... and they couldn't be more different from Aesop's! 
Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith's collection of fables poke fun at the old traditional fables
 (just as their book The Stinky Cheese Man poked fun at traditional fairy tales). 
Unlike Aesop's traditional animal characters, this crazy cast includes a sad squid, a duckbilled platypus, a piece of toast, a horseshoe crab, and even a beefsnakstik! 
And the morals of these stories aren't bits of wisdom; instead, they are nonsensical modern messages, including: "Just because you have a lot of stuff, don't think you're so special," "Don't play with matches," and "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
book summary from scholastic.com
and a little activity..

In the beginning of Squids Will Be Squids,  read aloud the short, funny introduction to Aesop and his fables. 
To teach your class what the elements of a fable are, begin by reading a few aloud. Some classic fables that many of your students will probably recognize are "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing," "The Ant and the Grasshopper," "The Tortoise and the Hare," and "The Fox and the Grapes." After you have finished these stories, ask your class what all of these fables had in common. They will probably discover for themselves the two 
prominent characteristics of a fable, which are:
All fables feature animals (or occasionally, objects) who speak and act like human beings, 
 Why are  fables are told with animals rather than with people (hmmmm)?. 
and they all have a moral.(a lesson drawn from a story that teaches correct behavior or a universal truth). 
Would a fable still be a fable if it didn't contain a moral? ( another hmmmm)?

Classroom Activities Found at Scholastic.com

Fractured FablesWrite your own silly fractured fables, Mad-Lib style! Pick a classic fable from Aesop 

(like "Tortoise and the Hare" or "The Fox and the Grapes") or a fable from Squids Will Be Squids. 

Circle the words that you will replace: the names of the characters, a few nouns and verbs, the setting and situation, and some or all of the moral. 

You can do this together as a class, or create a reproducible for each student to create on his own 

(which is also useful for a crash review of nouns and verbs). 

Either way, your students will create their own funny fables; "The Tortoise and the Hare" might turn out to be about poodle and an ostrich who are competing in a hot dog eating contest!

Visit scholastic for great writing ideas & lessons:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/activity/fractured-fairy-tales-and-fables-writing-writers-activity

What I'm Loving Wednesday...

                                                                                                                                                          

I'm linking up with Jaime to share ...

What I'm Loving this Wednesday!            

                                                        so..Here's what I'm loving on this beautiful day...

    First, I'm LOVING that I've found  Scholastic 
                       On Pinterest :http://pinterest.com/scholastic/vintage-scholastic/

I found this great Vintage Scholastic News
What a blast from the past!

   

Rick Springfield! OMGosh...

Mini Lulu clutch
Next, I'm loving these BAGS!

I luv,luv,luv this coach bag...
Last, I'm loving playing the game 
                 Hedbandz with my family!                       
  (highly recommended if you have kids between the ages 6 to 8 yrs old) 

Teaching Fables

Do you know that Aesop's Fables have been around since 620 B.C.!  

 Millions of children  have enjoyed hearing them and learning from them for centuries!

Now you can enjoy, listen and discuss one of the most famous fables, 

here is a wonderful contemporary adaptation by Tom Lynch
   The Tortoise and the Hare - click on the tortoise and enjoy!

You may want to explain how these images were illustrated with hand sewn patchwork tapestries of folk art from the countries of Africa, India and Peru.
If you happen to have a real example of patchwork, that would be a wonderful thing to include in the presentation.  

Related Activities : The Tortoise and Hare

 features many printable activities to include with this online activity to help you 

re-create and present this fable in a memorable way. 

All info posted here, links, printables & lesson plans are from this great site:

                  http://www.first-school.ws/activities/fable/turtlehare.htm
  


Click here for all of Aesop's Fables: http://www.umass.edu/aesop/