Teacher Website Search ECH 525 Module 6 Assignment

The first preschool website that I would like to discuss is http://www.prekinders.com/classroom-photos/. This website includes pictures of two different classrooms that the same teacher has had. The classrooms utilize a small space by having bins for storage, centers around the room and tables for students and teachers to sit and work at. There are a large variety of materials available for the kids to use. Everything is at a level that the kids can reach.

In addition to the classroom pictures, there are pictures and explanations of individual centers. The centers are from different classrooms, but give wonderful ideas of how to create an inviting place for the children. Also, it includes the materials that are available for the children to use.

These pictures are in conjunction with a website that also includes teaching tips and  ideas for preschool teachers. The site features Learning Areas, Themes and Printables for teachers.

This website is a good example of how to create an inviting and exciting space for young learners. It has center areas for the children to enjoy and explore, open areas for class meetings, and tables and chairs for small group instruction. The author of this site is Karen Cox, who currently teaches in Georgia.

The second preschool site I will discuss is http://squishideasforpreschool.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-school-classroom-decoration-and.html. This website is different from the previous one in that the ideas are from a variety of places and have been compiled into this one site. Because the classroom designs are from many different teachers and areas of the country, there is probably a good fit for almost every teacher. This site has a picture with a link to where there  is more information about that classroom layout. After scrolling down past the beginning of the year ideas, there is a plethora of classroom themes and layout ideas.

In addition to the photos of  classroom designs, there are several other pages that include theme ideas for each month, crafts, parachute play ideas, recipes and even other websites for the reader to explore.

This site offers variety for all different styles of teachers. Each one offers something different to the children, and lets them feel they are part of the classroom. The lesson ideas are also great resources for teachers to allow children to interact with the learning and be part of the process rather than just receiving the information lecture style.

The first website I explored for K-3 was called Kinder Korner. This site has extremely comprehensive classroom ideas including pictures of the author setting up her classroom in 2000. (http://www.kinderkorner.com/pics.html ) This link takes a look at how this teacher set up her classroom using the space she had available. It also includes links to books and other resources that would come in handy. The area that she has created invites students into the classroom and into learning. The walls are decorated with bright colors and every space is well used, either for storage or centers. Children in this environment would be excited about learning because of the availability of materials and different themes.

The last website that I will discuss is a 2nd grade classroom featured on teacher.net. (http://teachers.net/gazette/OCT02/classroomphotos.html) This classroom has round desks for students to interact with one another as they are working on projects and homework. It also has an enclosed area that doubles as a library and class meeting place inside and storage for center materials on the outside. There are also areas for math, computers, and word working. The bright colors add a festive look to the classroom that is inviting to children. This classroom allows children to move from place to place and utilizes storage so that there is room for the many activities available. As the curriculum requires the use of textbooks, the teacher provides storage away from the student desks that allows them more room where they are sitting and an opportunity to move around to get materials. This classroom is featured on a website that includes many other ideas. This website is actually an online magazine that offers articles about many different areas of teaching and offers great resources for teachers.

Website and address	Attributes of classroom	Justification of examples
Karen Cox Prekinders website http://www.prekinders.com/classroom-photos/	·           Pictures of classroom layout ·           Pictures of different centers ·           Variety of materials to appeal to all interests ·           Open spaces for children to play ·           Areas for quiet and noisy centers ·           Group meeting areas ·           Teaching resources	Allows children to explore and play enhancing their learning through DAP. Materials allow for a diversity of interests that will encourage all children to participate and learn. Separation of centers allows the classroom to maintain a learning atmosphere.
Squish website http://squishideasforpreschool.blogspot.com/2012/08/back-to-school-classroom-decoration-and.html	·           Links to classrooms that appeal to various teaching styles ·           All open inviting spaces ·           Creative use of materials and storage ·           Allows students to choose activities and materials ·           Provides access to different teacher resources	Different layouts appeal to different teacher styles which create a positive environment. Storage is organized and allows children to take charge of their learning in the classroom.
Kinder Korner http://www.kinderkorner.com/pics.html	·           Enables students to access all areas of the room ·           Utilizes space for centers and walls for display and learning ·           Creates bright environment that encourages learning ·           Large amounts of materials for centers and group activities	Open spaces invite students to create large items without interrupting the flow of the classroom. Lighting and color add to the overall feel of the environment, inviting parents and children to the classroom.
Teacher.net Gazette http://teachers.net/gazette/OCT02/classroomphotos.html	·           Round tables allow children to engage in cooperative learning ·           Space is well designed to allow for traffic and centers ·           Invites students with bright colors and fun wall decorations ·           Storage of whole class materials enables students to move when getting them	Ability to talk with peers allows children to learn social skills and increase understanding of the topics. Allows for children to move around the classroom and interact with the different materials. Learning in encouraged through centers and hands-on activity.

Class assignment

So for those of you who read this blog, I wanted to give you a heads up. For one of the classes I am taking, I have to post about different classroom designs. Since I already have this blog and don't really want to create a new one, I am going to post it here. Feel free to ignore the next post or to read it if you are interested in early childhood classrooms.

I guess this is also a good chance to tell about the busy life I am leading. As noticed, I am taking online classes. Currently I am enrolled in two classes and only have two more to complete before getting my Master's in Early Childhood Education. That will put me finishing on July 17th which is only a week before my baby is due. Things have been going well with that. I have been super lucky to have had no morning sickness and only mild heartburn. I have felt great so far and hope to experience more of the same in the last trimester. Anthony and I are getting excited about our new little one. I think Anthony is also getting more nervous but we will make it.

I only have 19 days of teaching left which is nice. As much as I like working with the kids, I am ready for a break. They are all ready for a break too and it is hard to keep them interested. Needless to say, I will be taking full advantage of outdoor themes such as trees, clouds and weather.
Right after school gets out, I am going to Girl's Camp. I was called as the Young Women's President in our ward back in December. Things have been a little rocky with my first counselor leaving and needing to find a new one, but I think things will be working out nicely. The girl's are excited and I am too.
Hopefully in a little over a month, things will start to calm down, but that never does seem to happen. So I am ready to hold on and do my best.

Updates

Well as you can see, I am doing a great job on my resolution. So here is a little update on what Anthony and I have been doing for the last few months.
April- For Spring Break, we went to Florida and the Bahamas on a promotional cruise I was kind of suckered into. Florida was really nice. We spent a lot of time driving to the beach because our hotel was so far away, but the water was really nice. The only problem was that the waves were really calm and Anthony wanted to do some boogie boarding. The Bahamas were very pretty. We swam everyday, walked the shops around our hotel, and tried their local dish, conch (pronounced konk) several different ways. We had, battered and fried, plain fried, and raw in a salad. The salad was pretty good, but very heavy on the citrus juices. Anthony also tried the spine of one. I wasn't brave enough to do that. He said it didn't have much taste but had a texture like a gummy bear. We were going to do some snorkeling, but the weather started acting all funny and the tours were canceled. We were not very happy about that, but we did get to do some snorkeling in Florida over a small rock reef. The fish were really pretty and fun to chase. After the Bahamas, we drove through alligator alley and saw 21 alligators in a canal by the side of the road. They were spread out over about 10 miles. We also drove down to the Keys. That was very long and tiring but fun.
May- school was finishing up and I was busy getting ready for Girl's Camp. The last week, Anthony was asked to go up and be a camp host at Angel Lake for three weeks. He took our trailer up and did that job. I would go and visit him on the weekends. Over memorial day weekend, we got 12 inches of snow there and we had to get plowed out. I was just glad that they sent a snow plow up and he was able to go past our trailer.
June-We got a kitten from a lady in our ward. He is a Siamese mix and super cute. Anthony named him Hondo, after a John Wayne character. We immediately got him used to traveling by going up to Angel Lake. I was called as the Girl's Camp director this year and had a great time doing that. It was with the stake so I didn't have to plan nearly as much, but I still got to do all the certifications and plan the food items. The 13-16th we went to a Church owned camp. All of the girls were great. We only had two major problems. One girl is super shy and is home schooled. Within the first four hours she was in tears wanting to go home. I was able to walk and talk with her and get her comfortable with the idea of staying. Then about two hours later, it happened again. After once again talking her into staying, she had a great time. The girls were all really good about including her in everything. The other problem was that two girls were having a very difficult time communicating decently. Well we eventually got things sorted out and were able to have fun. We then traveled up to Utah to spend time with Anthony's family. After spending a few days with them, we went to visit Trent and Janice.
July- The first week of July, Anthony and I were able to be a Ma and Pa for our stake trek. We met with our group in Tooele, Utah and traveled out to Martin's Cove. The first day we walked 7.2 miles to the visitor's center. On the way we stopped and did a service project. We had lunch and picked up our carts and then headed back to camp (7.2 miles). Wed. the fourth, we broke camp and took our carts back to the visitor's center (7.2 miles) and continued on the journey to Independence Rock. There we celebrated the day with some songs and dancing. We then went to Sixth Crossing to get orientation on doing Rocky Ridge. Because most of the trail is on BLM property, they had to explain the procedures. After that hour long program, we got to eat dinner and head to our camp. We got there around nine and set up camp in the dark. The next morning we cleaned up and started up the trail with our carts. We did the women's pull and also had a reenactment of the Hans Neilsen story. The little lady pulled her sick husband up and over Rocky Ridge to Rock Creek Hollow camp. That was a very touching experience. When we reached camp, we had an evening of personal time. In the morning, Friday, we had a testimony meeting and then traveled to Salt Lake. That evening we had dinner and a devotional by John Bytheway. The kids stayed at host families and the adults stayed in a hotel. Saturday we broke into groups and did baptisms for the dead at three different temples. Anthony got to do the baptizing for our family. He was really thrilled about getting to do that. He has never had that chance before. When we finished, we went on our way back to Anthony's parents, while the rest traveled back to Nevada.
We stayed a week there and went to Hogle Zoo one day. We took his sister, Christina and his mom, Sandra. We had an enjoyable day even though it was really hot. We also did some work around their new yard and put a new door on their shop. On Sunday the 15th, we went up the canyon above Park City and attended Devarie's baby blessing. We then traveled back up to Idaho. Trent had us do some jobs that he has been needing to get done around the house and out at the Mobile Home Park. We put up a new fence along the north border of the property at the house from the back of the corrals all the way to the ditch in front. We also hooked up a trailer with sewer and water and put a frame on it for skirting.
August- The boys took their annual trip to Leadore this last weekend. They packed their gear in on horses and fished their time away. The weren't able to get up to Bear Valley Lake because the road was being worked on, so they had to go to a different lake called Lunker Lake or No Name Lake. The were able to catch lots of fish and went on a hike to Yellow Lake that was over a ridge or so. On the way there they got a flat tire on the trailer. Fortunately they had gotten two spares. They had previously lost a tire on the trailer so one spare was already being used.
On Sunday we went with Trent and Janice to Matt and Amber's baby blessing. It was really fun to see everyone and to hear about how they are all doing.
This week we are going to finish the corral part of the fences, build a porch for the trailer we have been working on, and go to a family reunion at Heise Hot Springs with Anthony's family.
All in all it has been a fun and busy summer for us.

Butter, baking, and blogs

Well there are some perks to living out here in the middle of nowhere. One of those is that Anthony and I get free fresh milk and eggs. There are two families in our ward that have cows and they have been wonderful to give us milk for free. With that milk comes the yummy cream. Well I decided to get fancy and make butter. I remember helping mom make butter and thought it was always so easy. I called mom to double check on the procedure and started my little adventure. Well I think that butter making is a lot easier when all I have to to is mold it into little turtles. I tell you what, my hands were so tired from squeezing and squeezing. But it was worth it here is the result.








We also got one of those perfect brownie pans that cooks them in the little squares. We were a little skeptical of it, but figured we should give it a shot before we just got rid of it. We were pleasantly surprised with how our brownies turned out. We used some mix we got in bulk at Winco while in Boise. It turned out more cake like but still tasted yummy. Here is what they looked like.








Now for a plug for blogs. Anthony and I have been trying out some new recipes that we have found on some blogs. Our favorite blog so far is called melskitchencafe.com. It has recipes for all kids of different things. We tried out a pot roast recipe when Trent and Wyatt came to visit us. It turned out great and made delicious sandwiches the next few days. Tonight we are trying Italian Beef sandwiches and tomorrow we are trying ribs. They have all been amazing so far. There are also desserts galore. If you are sick of your recipes try a new one from there today. (I sound like a commercial but it is really awesome.)

Catch Up!

I was talking to Tiffany on my birthday and she told reminded me that I have a blog. Well I am really bad at taking pictures and even worse at sharing them on my blog, but I want to get better. I have decided to make it a goal this year. (I'm starting a little late with the resolution but oh well.) On Jan. 20th, Anthony and I went to visit Dad. We drove to Twin Falls and went to the temple there that night. It was a full house because the Boise Temple is under reconstruction so there were several people from that area there. It was really great to go to a new temple. It is a lot like the Rexburg one and has beautiful murals of the falls. Unfortunately it was rainy and gross I didn't get any pictures. Sorry.
We drove to Boise the next morning hoping to see Dad. Well my application had been denied for some reason so I wasn't able to do that. Well we really didn't have anything else planned so we went to the Capitol Building. The last time I remember being there was a while ago. It was really neat to see. While we were there, they had a march for the abortion law, so there were several people out on the lawn. There was also a Miss Rodeo thing going on inside. Anthony enjoyed seeing the different areas of the house and senate rooms. We couldn't go in since they were in session but we looked into them.
While we were walking back to where we were parked we saw some geese on the lawn. I couldn't get a picture of them, but we saw a whole bunch more as we were driving to our hotel.
Later that evening I was able to go to my favorite!!! ice cream place. Sub Zero. You choose what flavor of ice cream you want and then they use liquid nitrogen to freeze it right in front of you! It is so awesome to watch and it is soo delicious. The one in Logan closed down, so I was really excited to find one in Boise. We drove home a different way, through Mountain Home. It was pretty dull. There was a fun canyon we drove through with a lot of snow and twists and turns but that was about the extent of the excitement.

Nevada News

So these are the only pictures that my computer is uploading. This is the front room of our trailer while we were moving in. There is a pop-out that adds a lot of space. The kitchen is in the corner on the first picture.
I will hopefully be able to get more up but the internet is really slow and doesn't love to do that. Maybe they will make it onto facebook.

Internet!

WHOOT WHOOT! We finally got internet at home so I will be able to put some pictures up of things we have done. Look for them coming soon!