Welcome! Here’s to a great Summer!

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Welcome 4th Graders! I had this blog back in 2020 and I decided that this summer I should start blogging again. I think this will be a neat way to keep in touch over the summer and to share some of the fun things we are doing and exploring. My first post is going to be short. I’m going to share my 3 goals for the summer with you.

  • To learn more about snakes. I have a snake living in my backyard and I’m a little scared of it so I’m staying on the deck. That’s no fun! My husband told me that snakes are good and that I just need to learn more about them. My first goal is to go to the library and get a couple of books on snakes and learn more about them and how they help the environment. I’ll share what I learn later this summer and try to get a picture of our slithery friend.
  • I want to exercise more. Being healthy is important for all of us. I try to eat right and drink plenty of water, but I’m not so good at exercising. I’m going to start walking every day. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on my progress. I might need some motivation!!
  • I want to get really good at baking pies. When we went to Minnesota, we stopped at a place called Norske Nook and they are known for their pies. I bought the cookbook and I think that baking pies will be my summer hobby. Luckily, I don’t really like pie so it won’t mess up my goal #2. I will just have to find some people to share my pies with besides my husband. He LOVES pie!

I’m excited to hear if you have any goals for the summer. If you have a goal, please comment below. Or if you don’t have a goal, just comment to let me know that you are following along or if you have an idea or something to share. I can’t wait to hear from some of you!

Today is …

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I always enjoy hearing what “Today is” like in Today is national Save the Polar Bears day. So since I have been meaning to start blogging on a regular basis, I decided that I would search what today is. I discovered a website called nationaltoday.com and on that site you can find out what national day it is for any date. You would be happy to know that “Today is National Strawberry Sundae Day.” Hooray for strawberries and ice cream!  Sounds like something I would be happy to celebrate. I did some research to find out how something becomes a “national day” and if they are legitimate. Here is what I discovered … The United States only recognizes ten days as national holidays. Then there are government-sanctioned days that are considered national observances. There are about 40 of those. You can also have national days that are created by a proclamation from someone like the President or from a group like Congress. These are only supposed to be a one-time event and not a yearly thing. So days such as tomorrow’s National Video Game Day are actually created and sometimes paid for by individuals or companies. Sites like the National Day Calendar website allow you to apply for a specific national day. Another popular way to get a national day trending is to start a hashtag. So if I really love roller coasters and I am planning to go to an amusement park, I might start my own hashtag #nationalrollercoasterday and see if it gets any attention. Perhaps instead today should be #nationalteacherblogday. Who knows? It might take off!

To read more about national days, here is an article from 2016 that was published by the Tampa Bay Times. If you are curious, it is a quick read!

Ever Wonder Where All Those National Food Holidays Come From?

So what would you choose to be a national day if you had the chance? I think my husband would pick National Hamburger with a Side of Pancakes Day. Let us know your ideas in the comments.

I Will Never Take Things for Granted Again

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Today Emma and I decided to get out of the house and still practice safe social distancing. Because she isn’t driving her car every day, her dad and I have her start it up and drive around at least once a week so that the battery doesn’t go dead. Today I rode along with her and we ended up driving out to the high school. It was nice to drive around and listen to music and put the windows down. As I was riding, I realized that there were times in the past when I might have been a bit “grumbly” about the drive to school. But today, I looked at the whole thing differently. I will never again take driving to school in order to go to work for granted again. It was strange to see the empty parking lot without any students walking around or athletes practicing after school. During the drive home I made a list in my head of the little things that I took for granted in the past (and maybe even complained about) that I will not take for granted in the future. Here are five of the items from my list …

  • Going to the grocery store and taking my time going up & down the aisles picking out food
  • Going to the movie theater
  • Visiting with my family and my friends
  • Going to the mall and just walking around
  • Sitting down in a restaurant to enjoy a meal cooked by someone else

Here are two of our favorite activities that I will never take for granted again … going to Easton and going out to eat at a restaurant.

What are some of the things that you won’t be taking for granted in the future?

What a GREAT Friday and Math Camp-In

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Friday was probably one of the best days of my life. After being inside and teaching online for over 4 weeks, I was really missing all of my students. One of our bus drivers, Jennifer Skinner, and Mrs. Ross and I borrowed a school bus and went to visit as many of the 3rd and 4th graders that we could. I was so happy and excited. I couldn’t sleep the night before because of the excitement. It was a rainy day but it turned out to be so much fun. I was able to see all but 5 of the 4th graders. We dropped off books and I handed out information about Logan Elm’s Spirit Week and our Math Camp-In to everyone.

Math Camp-In is an awesome opportunity for students and their families sponsored by the Teaching & Learning Collaborative and AEP. It offers students a chance to learn through fun math activities. This will be a nice break for some of the students who are getting a little tired of Stepping Stones and IXL. To be part of our Math Camp-In, you just need to join our Google Classroom. The code is SV7MOQG. There are math activities for 2 different levels … grades 1-2 and grades 3-4. Math Camp-In is not limited to just Pickaway students. Spread the word! Anyone is allowed to join us. Once you join the Google Classroom page and make your first comment, you will be mailed a special package with some math camping supples. We will start our math camping adventure towards the end of this week.

 

Hello world! Welcome to Mrs. McKibben’s Blog

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This is the start of a new blog for me. I started it especially for my 4th graders while we are away from school. This is going to be the place where you can check in to quickly find out what is going on with math and science and other school topics. We will even share some of our experiences while we are apart. I am excited about this journey. I picked the title “Never Stop Learning” because that is my goal for all of my students. My vision is for all of them to set goals for themselves and to continue to learn even as they move on from 4th grade. So welcome! I hope you come back to check out the news and see where we are in our journey through math, science, and learning at home.