December 18th, 2013

Today was full of fun, memories, laughter, and tears (ask them how they made their poor teacher cry!). 

See you all tonight at the concert! :)

December 16, 2013

This week is going to be a crazy one, but I'm aiming to keep our eyes and hearts on Christ through it all!

We began today with Reading Workshop, and the students finished reading Ch. 2 of  'Charlotte's Web' and then did the corresponding activities.  We also started a special Christmas story that I discovered in our library.  The drama students also slipped out for a quick practice at this time.

After Recess we had the Science Test, and then went on to Math.  The 4's are working with related division and multiplication facts while the 3's are working on estimating differences.

Following Lunch we had a concert practice where we presented for the entire school, which was exciting (and nerve-wracking!) :)

I announced today that we will be having a Christmas party on Wednesday!  The students are welcome to bring a treat to share, but there is no obligation to do so.  I just ask that if you are bringing something, please comment on the homework page what you are bringing.  Thanks. :)

Thursday, December 12th, 2013

Good afternoon!  We had a very different Thursday today, but had some fun with it.  Most likely the remainder of our days prior to vacation will be fairly different, what with Christmas concert prep.

We began with Bible, as per the norm, and moved on to a new unit.  We spent today discussing if there is just one, true God and finding Biblical references to support that there is just one true God.

Then we went on to WW, and the kids are putting the finishing touches on their presents for you. :)

They then had Library, followed by Recess, Music and DPA.

Before Lunch we had an Art class where we made something else that will likely be a Christmas gift for you.  I left this one up to the students though, so some might bring them home tonight.

The afternoon was spent preparing for the Christmas concert!  I can't wait for Wednesday night!  It's going to be a wonderful show! :)

December 11, 2013

Good afternoon everyone! The excitement of Christmas is most definitely upon us, and the snow has certainly helped with that.  You'll likely hear talk tonight about the forts the students have made.  There has been some conflict around these forts and other students ruining them and talks of revenge.  Please discuss with your child that these forts are in a space where we have no control over who touches them, and that they might get ruined, and if they do, they need to be ok with that.  Thanks. :)

We spent the entire first portion of the day working on our Christmas gifts for you, which I'm so excited about.  Then after Recess the children had Math, and the 3's continued with 3 digits plus 3 digits while the 4's moved on to division.

They then had some catchup time with Mr. Banman followed by some supervised activities outside.  After lunch I was working with the drama club, and the students that aren't in drama had a block with Mr. Morrow teaching.

Have a wonderful evening, and keep working on your lines for the concert everyone! 

December 10th, 2013

We started today studying the Word in depth surrounding Jesus' birth, and why God sent Him to Earth. Then we had a quick run through of our lines for the Christmas concert. Some students are still having difficulty remembering their lines so please check that your child has his or hers memorized. 

Then we spent some time working on with chapter 1 from our literature study followed by work on our Christmas gifts for you. :)

In Math today the fours did some work with sides of shapes and multiplication and the 3's started working with me on adding 3 digit plus 3 digit numbers!

After lunch we enjoyed some more of the Planet Earth documentary and then the children had library followed by Christmas concert practice. 

Here are photos of some of our students enjoying their lunch time playtime. 

December 9th, 2013

We were walking in a winter wonderland today at school, and was it ever fun!  I absolutely love snow, and the joy and excitement it brings for the children.

Today began with RW and the children did some further reading in their Guided Reading groups, along with a summary activity.  Then we went on to Spelling (no memory verse this week) and DPA (outside, enjoying the snow, of course!).

After Recess we had WW, where we started a top-secret Christmas project which I promised the children I wouldn't share with you on the blog :)

This was followed by Math, and the 4's finished an activity they started last day and then worked on corrections while the 3's learned some strategies for addition with 2 digit numbers (friendly numbers being the most popular - see if your child can explain it to you).

Following Lunch we had Science and each child received a study guide for their test next Monday.  Then we did some colour mixing experiments (one that didn't work!), and followed that with chapel.

Have a wonderful, warm evening everyone!

December 6, 2013

We had a fantastic Friday today, despite the cold weather! 

Mrs. Everett started the day with devotions, and then we had our Spelling Test and memory verse check.  This was followed by RW and the children emptied out their L.A. duotangs (everything should be in their backpack for you to do with as you wish), to make room for our new Literature Study ('Charlotte's Web').  We then read a chapter from 'Charlotte's Web'.

After recess we had Math, and the 4's continued with their multiplication while the 3's worked on their two digit addition.  The class finished their leaf poetry for WW, and then we had typing.

Four fortunate students had a pizza B.U.G. lunch today which is always fun!

Lunch was followed by Science (ask them what they learned about prisms today!) and then P.E.

Have a wonderful, warm weekend everyone! I'll be watching the parade, so hope to see many of you there!

December 5, 2013

Today we began with a run-through of our Christmas concert story.  Please continue to work with your children on their memorization and projection.  I'm hoping we'll have a microphone for them to speak into, but just in case, it's better to be prepared.

Then we added three more books to our 'Books of the Bible' list, which means we have now completed the Old Testament!  The children will be quizzed on how many they remember next Friday, in lieu of a memory verse.

We then had Handwriting, and the 3's added j, p, s, and r to their repertoire.  The 4's continued with Mm. That was followed by Grammar and today's lesson was review.

After Recess we had Music and then Math.  The 4's have some homework to complete if they aren't done, as this was work that was started on Tuesday.

We ended our classroom time today with Art, and the students finished a stained glass project which you can see examples of if you look at our windows!

December 4, 2013

With parent teacher conferences today, I'll keep this brief, but here are some field trip photos for you to enjoy.  We had a wonderful time at the Museum!  Thanks to Sandra, Amber, Aryn, Joel, Jeff and Cathy for helping out!

December 3, 2013

Today began with a school assembly where Mr. Morrow reminded everyone to ensure that they are dressed for the weather.  It is very cold outside and without proper jackets, mitts and toques it feels much worse.  Please help your children ensure that they have chosen warm clothing.

Then we had RW and after the read aloud, the children received their new literature study novels, which will be 'Charlotte's Web', a personal favourite of mine.

This was followed by WW, and we went down to the lab and most students finished their leaf poetry, which we'll put on display in the hallway shortly.

After Recess, the class had Music and then Math.  The 3's continued their work with estimation and the 4's played a math factor game and then learned some strategies for figuring out multiplication.  Ask them how they could solve 6x7 if they don't immediately know the answer.  One of the grade 3's was done ahead of time, so we challenged him to play the math game with the 4's, which was wonderful!

Following Lunch we had S.S., and discussed some specific questions about the Sto:lo and their use of the land in the lower Fraser Valley

The children ended their day with Library and P.E.

December 2, 2013

I'm writing this as the students are working madly on a light bending project (mad scientists?).  They are loving this and working so well as a group to use light and mirrors to create a path for light through a shoe box.  Pretty cool learning going on!

We started today with RW, and the students spent some time in their Guided Reading groups and then writing about character description in their novels. We also continued our Read Aloud.

Then we had our Spelling Pre-Test, and DPA (Christmas dance party!).

After a damp recess we had WW, and the students did their Spelling corrections and then worked on their typed leaf poetry.  Then on to Math, and the Grade 4's played some fun Math games today while the 3's started on estimation.

We finished our day with Chapel, and the middle school worship band led, which is awesome!

Stay warm and dry tonight!

November 29th, 2013

Report cards go home today, and that, combined with the B.U.G. draw has the kids buzzing from the excitement!  I trust if you have any questions about the year so far that you'll sign up for a visit with me on December 4th (conference day).  I look froward to seeing all of you there.

Mrs. Everett led devotions today, and then the students had their Spelling Test.  Everyone did very well, and many remembered Luke 2:4, which was quite a lengthy verse.  We'll add verse 5 to that next week, so feel free to get a jump start on it this weekend.

The students finished their 'Henry' projects today (phew!), and we'll move on to a new novel next week.

After Recess, the class had Math, and the Grade 4's are continuing with their multiplication facts at home (all the way to 9x9 this year!  Please help at home), and the 3's are continuing with related facts with addition and subtraction.

Then we started work on our fall poems.  The students made leaves last week in Art, and these will be the background for our poetry.  The poetry will be typed on Word, which is a first for many of these students.  We spent the bulk of our computer class today learning how to create a new file and how to save it in our own folder at school.

The B.U.G. draw was after lunch (you'll receive an email if your child was selected for the pizza B.U.G. lunch next Friday), and then we did a great Science experiment with lights and mirrors.  Be sure to ask your child about it.

We ended the day with P.E., which is a perfect way to finish a Friday.

Have a super weekend everyone!

November 29th, 2013

Off to stuff report card envelopes right after this, so just a quick post with some highlights from today.  Our part for the Christmas concert is coming along, and many students have their parts memorized (hooray!).  The Grade 3's and 4's worked on their letter K's today, and we worked on run-on sentences in grammar.  We also began an art project making stained glass windows, which is already proving to be quite challenging.  We'll see how they turn out! :)

November 28, 2013

Our short but sweet Wednesday was full of activity.  We started with WW, and a few of the students finished their 'Henry and the Clubhouse' projects, which are due Friday.  Then we went on to RW, and the children had some independent reading time and then I read aloud from our class book.

After Recess we had Math, and both groups had some fun hands-on activities today.  The 3's played a related facts with addition and subtraction game (they had 3 numbers, two of which, when added together, equaled the third) and they had to come up with 2 addition sentences and 2 subtraction sentences.  If they did, they got a point.  This could easily be played at home too!  The 4's got to make waffles and crepes with me (not literally, but be sure to ask them), which was an introduction to multiplication for them.

This was followed by P.E. with Mr. Banman, and then some catching up on overdue work.

After Lunch we had S.S., and had a great discussion, using Google Earth, about the different environments in Canada and around the world. 

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

November 26, 2013

Today was a great day.  The whole class ended up in purple or blue on the clip chart which has never happened before! :) 

We began with Bible, and talked about Luke 2:4-7 (where our memory verse stems from),  and how God sent Jesus to be His messenger, in person, for us.  We also talked about how the Bible is God's manual for our lives and how He tells us what to do.  We also ran through our Christmas concert script, and some students have theirs memorized which is fantastic.  For those who haven't memorized it yet, please keep working on them!

This was followed by RW, and the students were happy to get into their Guided Reading novels.  Two groups discovered that their stories are about lost dogs which was an interesting coincidence.

During WW the students continued on their 'Henry' projects, and then it was on to Recess, followed by Music.

After that we had Math, and the Grade 4's learned how to use doubling to multiply, and were readily doing multiplication problems that they didn't think they could do, which was exciting.  The 3's finished off work from yesterday.

Following Lunch we had S.S., which means the World Map Quiz.  Some students were admittedly not prepared which was unfortunate.  If they don't pass, or are unhappy with their mark, they will have the option to rewrite it later this week at lunch.

They ended their day with Library and P.E.

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather we're having everyone! I'll be sitting indoors at a hockey arena all evening watching Parker's hockey practice. :)

November 25, 2013

We went right into a new week with an O.W.I. (Observe Wonder Infer).  Be sure to ask your child about today's O.W.I., as it was a pretty interesting photo from India that we used.

Then they were assigned to their new Guided Reading groups (hooray!), and made some predictions about what their novels were about.  We'll delve into the books and actually do some reading tomorrow. They also had some time to work on their 'Henry' projects, which will be due at the end of the week.

Then we had the Spelling Pre-Test, which proved to be challenging for many, particularly the Grade 3's.  Study hard this week!

For DPA we did stretching.  I have heard some concerns about the use of the term 'yoga' which was what I called this prior to today, but rest assured we are only stretching.  The video we follow is all different animal poses (Gerald the Giraffe, Cameron the Crocodile, etc.).  There is no reference to anything faith-based or worshiping false Gods.  If you have any concerns, please let me know.

After Recess we had WW and the children continued on their newspaper articles.  I even had the pleasure of being interviewed by a student for an article which proved highly entertaining for both of us!

Then we had Math, and the students emptied out their duotangs (check their backpacks for the contents, and do as you wish with it) as they were bulging at the seams.  On to a new unit, which for both grades is Number Operations.

After Lunch we did another light experiment in the gym (the only dark room we can find!) with our reflectometers.  We ended the day with chapel, where Mrs. Ryskamp talked about believing.  

November 22, 2013

We started today with devotions with Mrs. Everett and then had the spelling test. The class did so well today on their test and memory verse...almost everyone got 100%!

Then we had some time to work on the Henry projects and 10 minutes of independent reading. This was followed by recess and then the Math test which your child has with him or her to correct and get signed and returned. 

Then we had typing and many students finished a level in ATRT which was exciting! 

Their personal narratives are also on display in the lab so be sure to check those out at some point. 

After lunch the students were treated to one episode of the movie 'Planet Earth' which we will continue occasionally through the year. They were enthralled. 

They ended their day with PE. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

November 21, 2013

Today began with Bible, and we ran through our Christmas Concert lines and then reviewed the books of the Bible and sorted them (Law, History, Poetry, Major Prophets, and part of Minor Prophets).  I'm hoping that by grouping them the students will have an easier time remembering them.  We're halfway, but it only gets more difficult from here, as we have a total of 66 books to learn! 

We then got caught up on some Handwriting and Grammar (the Grade 3's can now write the letters a, c, d, e, g, i, l, o, q, t, u, and w in lower-case cursive which is exciting!). 

We wished Mrs. Everett a happy Birthday today as well, which was a nice surprise for her.

After Recess the class had Music and DPA while I taught French, and then we finished the Math review pages.  The test is tomorrow, and I'm confident most of the students are ready and will do well. 

Art started with a nature walk today as we searched for leaves which the students then sketched and painted on a piece of paper.  We'll continue this project in L.A. next week, so stay tuned.  Most of the spirographs and poppies are done and on display on the wall in the hallway.  I love the colours in the poppy art and the detail in the spirographs!

November 20, 2013

I just realized that it's been a while since I posted some photos up here.  I'll have to make a point of doing that Thursday or Friday!

Today was an excellent day.  We started with WW, and the students continued planning their newspaper articles.  They've been told that they need to interview someone for this assignment, so as a heads up for you it might be an idea to ask them who they're going to interview.  Then they worked on their journals, which is a reflection and prediction from 'Holes' which I'm reading to them.

Then we had RW and the students worked on their projects.  These are due at the end of next week and I can't wait to see the final results!  They're looking fantastic so far.

Following Recess we had Math and the children worked on the end of unit 'Show What You Know' to help me see where further review tomorrow (our test is on Friday) might be required.

Then they had P.E. with Mr. Banman, as well as P.O.W.

We finished the day with S.S., and finished a mapping activity and went on to a fun survival activity (ask them about it - they have to pretend they were stranded mid-field trip on their bus...what supplies would they bring with them for the trek back to the school?). :)  They're enjoying it.

November 19th, 2013

Just a quick note, as I'm short on time today, that we had a productive day today.  We worked on the Christmas reading, our 'Henry and the Clubhouse' projects, our newspaper articles, the Grade 3's played a Math game while the 4's finished their textbook work on Number Concepts, and then we did some world mapping work (quiz on the 7 continents and 5 main oceans next Tuesday).  Have a great day everyone!

November 19, 2013

Merry Monday everyone!  :) 

Today began with Reading Workshop, and we continued with our new novel, 'Holes', and then spent some time on the Literature Study project.  The kids are working hard on whichever three of the fifteen options they chose, and I'm excited to see what their final project will look like!

Then we had our Spelling Pre-Test, which I had the children put into their planners, so look for it there, or here on the blog.  Just 12 words for both grades this week.

We enjoyed a short game of floor hockey prior to a damp recess outside.

Following recess we had WW, and the students were introduced to their next writing assignment which is to create a class newspaper.  They will be typing these, and we'll then compile them into one newspaper, which should be a great learning experience and loads of fun!

This was followed by Math.  We're nearing the end of our Number Concepts unit (the 3's learned about how big 1000 is, and the 4's continued their subtraction with borrowing), which means a unit test will be sometime next week most likely.  Your child has been asked to do his or her corrections and show me to ensure that they are right.  If they have any trouble, they are welcome to come see me at recess, lunch, or before and after school.

After lunch we had Science and we finished our experiment with opaque, translucent and transparent materials, and then went on to make reflectometers.  Ask your child what that is! :)

November 15, 2013

The end of a quick week is here, and what with Remembrance Day and the field trip, this one flew past! 

We started today with Devotions with Mrs. Everett, and then went on to the spelling test.  The kids did really well on this test, especially because I know many of these words were difficult for them.  Thanks to those of you who spend time working with your children on their words.

Then we had RW, and the class continued with their 'Henry and the Clubhouse' project.  Then they spent some time in their Guided Reading (GR) groups.  One group has yet to finish their book, the 'Ramona Quimby, Age 8' group, so I'm going to start assigning sections for them to read at home, and will encourage them to read that book during Independent Reading.  They do have some reading to do for homework, but just 20 pages or so.

After Recess we had Math, and the Grade 3's did some fun estimation activities while the 4's worked on 3 digit subtraction with borrowing. 

Then, on to journal writing and then ATRT in the lab.

After lunch we had Science, and we finished an episode of the Magic School Bus series on light, and then did an experiment where we learned the difference between opaque, transparent and translucent.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone!

November 15, 2013

Good afternoon everyone!  We had such a great day today.

We started off with each student receiving his or her part for the Christmas Concert reading (our class is doing a reading that we wrote, which is the Christmas Story in our words).  Please encourage your child to practice at home.  The goal is that they'll have it memorized by concert night. :)

Then we spent some time catching up and overdue work and picking work to do that wasn't done but could be completed (ketchup and pickles - catching up and picking). 

Finally 9:15 rolled around and we started getting ready to go to the Chilliwack River Fish Hatchery.  We had an awesome time.  Lynn was our tour leader, and she showed us all the different types of salmon they work with at the hatchery, she dissected a few for us, showed us how to tell a male from a female, let the kids touch the fish and the eggs, and showed us all the different parts of the hatchery and what they do in each area.  The rain held off for us, and the kids learned so much.  Thanks to Amber, Shawna, Suzanne and Joel for joining us on that adventure! 

After the field trip we spent some time on Math corrections and then we had Art.  The kids finished up their spirographs and poppy art (check out our hallway bulletin board), and then we went off to Chapel.

Enjoy these photos from our field trip today. :)

November 13, 2013

My busy bees were hard at it today, and we accomplished a lot!  We began with WW, and the students are completing their personal narratives (some are done).  They are going to have time during WW to work on their 'Henry and the Clubhouse' final project for the next couple of weeks, which was introduced today during RW.  The students had the option of working alone or with a partner for this assignment, which is due November 29th.  It will be an in-class project, so not to worry about homework related to it.

After Recess, we had Math.  Many students were made aware of how many corrections they have yet to do in their exercise books.  They are currently on the 'Done Your Work?' list, but please, if you have the time, encourage your child to bring them home to work on.  They need to show me their corrections when they are done as well.

They then had P.E. and P.O.W. with Mr. Banman.

After lunch we continued on mapping in S.S., and today we learned about the Equator as well as the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.  There will be a world continent/major oceans quiz next week based on their world map they did in early September.  We will review it next S.S. class.

Everyone's excited about the field trip tomorrow!  Please make sure that your child is dressed for the weather (cool and wet), and that they have a pocket snack to bring along.  We'll leave at 9:20 AM and aim to be back at 11:45 AM.

November 12, 2013 (11/12/13)

We had a fun day today, which started with finishing the Christmas Story in our own words. The kids have enjoyed reading the related sections in Matthew and Luke and then putting it in their words. I'll be assigning parts now and each child will have to memorize his or her part before the Christmas concert. 

Then we had Spelling and it's a challenging list this week. The words are all words I've seen spelled incorrectly on work in class. There isn't a worksheet this week though, so the children get a break in that way at least. 

Then we had an exciting surprise...we got to go curling!  Here are some photos to show what happened. 

After recess the kids had Music and then Math. We're approaching the end of our number concepts unit and the children have learned so much about skip counting and borrowing. 

Following a rainy outdoor lunch (please ensure your child is dressed for the weather. Raincoats and umbrellas are wonderful in this wet weather!

Enjoy your evenings everyone!

November 8th, 2013

Mrs. Everett started the day with the students doing devotions and then I arrived just in time to administer the Spelling Test and memory verse check.  This was followed by RW, and we finished 'Matilda'.  I'm not going to show them the movie of 'Matilda', but feel free to do so at home if you'd like.  The students are almost done 'Henry and the Clubhouse' as well (most are doing the final chapter activity), and will be starting a project to do with that novel next week. 

We had a 20 minute typing session before Recess today, seeing as we were going to lose our usual typing time due to the assembly later.

After Recess we had Math, and the students continued with their work from this week (Gr. 4's had a quick review on borrowing when subtracting and the 3's were working on counting with coins).

Then we had the assembly, which went so well.  Our class did such a good job on the poem, and sat so quietly and respectfully.  I was so proud of them! :)  Thanks to everyone for their efforts, both at home and at school, on helping this to be a job well done.

After lunch we had Science, and after a failed effort at watching a movie about light (many students complaining), we did an experiment instead, focusing on how shadows change as the sun's position changes.  After we recorded our observations, we decided to try again with the movie, and everyone was much more cooperative.  This is a Magic School Bus show, and the one we ended up watching was about light.  We didn't finish it, but will next week.

The students finished their day with P.E. with Mr. Banman.

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone, and see you all on Tuesday!

November 8th, 2013

We started today with Bible, and began an exciting project.  Our class has been given the task of writing the story of Jesus' birth in our own words and presenting it at the Christmas concert!  We got a good start on it today and will continue working on this for the next few Bible classes.

Handwriting and Grammar followed Bible, and the focus in Grammar today was on subjects and predicates. 

The students had Music after Recess, and then DPA with Mrs. Everett. This was followed up by Math, continuing on with the concepts we've been working on this week.

After Lunch we had Art, and did a challenging project with poppies and warm and cool colours.  Have your child describe it (and possibly their exasperation) to you!

We finished the day with a Remembrance Day Assembly rehearsal.  Our class has done such a good job with the poem and I can't wait to hear them present it tomorrow.  Hopefully any of you who are able to attend, do.  It's at 11:30 AM tomorrow morning (November 8th). 

November 6, 2013

We started the day with a D.O.L. (Daily Oral Language, where the students correct a sentence), and then went into Writing Workshop.  The class is continuing on their personal narratives, and a few have even finished their published copies.  These will be on display on our wall of fame, so feel free to pop by and have a look anytime.

Then we ran through our poem for the Remembrance Day Assembly, which is this Friday at 11:30 AM.  You are welcome to join us, along with any extended family.  Our class will be reciting a poem during the assembly.

For RW today we finished the activities associated with Chapter 6 from 'Henry and the Clubhouse', and then went on to reading Chapter 7.  This is the final chapter in the book, and then each student will have an exciting project to work on based on the novel.

During Math, the 4's continued building on their mental math and estimation strategies with subtraction while the 3's continued skip counting with coins.  We also had a Mad Minute quiz today, where the students had 2 minutes and 30 seconds to complete 50 one digit addition problems.

Then the class had P.E. and P.O.W. with Mr. Banman.

After lunch, we had S.S., and today was one final work block for their treasure maps. The rest of the work must be done on their own time, and they are welcome to bring them home to work on.

November 5, 2013

What a gloomy day it was today!  The students had to go outside at recess and lunch today, despite the rain showers.  Many realized that they should bring appropriate rain gear to school on days like this as it was a bit damp and chilly.  Students are welcome to bring umbrellas too.

We started today with Bible, and are now at Amos with our Books of the Bible.  Then we looked up 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 and discussed it.  Feel free to discuss it further at home tonight!

Then we had RW, and the students used a Venn diagram to compare the main character of their Guided Reading story with themselves.  Some of the groups have finished the novel they are reading and I'll be doing some reorganizing of the groups before they go onto their next Guided Reading novel.

We finished the first part of our morning with WW, and continued on the personal narratives.  We also ran through 'In Flanders Fields' prior to recess.  The biggest challenge for these students is speaking up so that everyone in the sanctuary can hear them. 

After recess the students had Music with Mr. Banman and then Math.  The Grade 3's started work today on sorting coins and counting coins (following what we've already worked on with counting by 5's, 10's, 25's, etc.)  The 4's worked on some corrections and then further on adding 4 digit plus 4 digit numbers.

Following Lunch we had our S.S. quiz, which many of the students were quite nervous about.  The class average was a B though, and I was overall very pleased with how they did. Those who studied did well!

The students finished their day with Library and P.E.

November 4, 2013

We started today with Reading Workshop, and we began that with an O.W.I. which was an entertaining photo of a dog and an orangutan.  Some of the observations were quite keen, and the wonders were interesting too.  Then I read from 'Matilda' for a while, and then the students did a D.O.L. quiz, where they had to correct the errors in 10 sentences.  This has been sent home for signing.

The students have this week's spelling words, and then we did some yoga for DPA again.  They are amazed at how flexible the woman leading it is!

We then had WW, and the students continued on their personal narratives.  Some are reaching the publish stage, and when they complete their writing they will start another.

The students then had Math, and the Grade 4 students finished Page 54, and then went on to adding 4 digit by 4 digit numbers.  The Grade 3's did some review work sheets of place value.

Following our lunch break, we had Science.The students worked with shadow, and we did an experiment where they discovered that the surface area of an object affects how big the shadow will be.

Please help your child look over their S.S. map for tomorrow.  They need to know where all the provinces and territories are in Canada!  If they are in Grade 4, they must be able to spell them as well.

November 1, 2013

Welcome to November everyone!  We had a typical November day today, what with the gloomy weather outside!  The kids seemed a bit hyper today (I wonder why?) but we made the best of it.

The class started with devotions with Mrs. Everett, and then we had our Spelling test and memory verse check.  This was followed with RW, where the kids got an O.W.I. from me.  Ask them if they remember what it stands for (O - Observe, W = Wonder, I = Infer).  This is done to promote deeper thinking with nonfiction work, and we will doing it on a regular basis with our Opening Exercises.

After Recess we had Math, and the Grade 4's are working on strategies for mental math.  They have some homework on this, as well as 3 digit addition.  The Grade 3's are continuing on finding patterns using a number line.

Then the students had WW, and they continued working on their personal narratives.  When they conference with me we make a lot of changes, which can be overwhelming for some students.  I'm encouraging them and reminding them that these changes are to challenge them and make them think more deeply about their writing.

We had some time in the lab today and the students worked on All The Right Type.

Our S.S. block was used to work on the Treasure Maps the children are creating, using a compass, a grid, and a legend.

The class ended their day with P.E. with Mr. Banman.  Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

October 31, 2013

Today was a very exciting day for the students!  They observed immediately upon looking at the agenda that it was a fun day with plenty to look forward to, most notably our visit from Richard Wong, a physicist at the University of the Fraser Valley.

We started the day with Bible, looking up multiple verses in the Bible related to our topic of how God created everything and that he speaks truth to us.  The children are getting much quicker at looking up verses in the Bible now that they know where almost half of the books are!

Then we had Handwriting, and the Grade 4's worked on cursive H and I while the 3's finally got to try their hands at cursive!  They started with the easiest ones - e, i, l, and t (all lower case).

Then on to grammar where we discussed sentences with the Grade 3 students, and specifically the difference between interrogative and declarative sentences with the Grade 4 students.

The students had an early recess and then we had our visitor arrive!

Dr. Wong (a.k.a. Richard) focused on the spectrum of light, and how different types of light affect how we see colours.  Ask your children about the spectrometer that we used, and the different colours they saw depending on which light they were looking at.

After lunch we had the October B.U.G. draw (pizza B.U.G. lunch will be NEXT Friday, November 8th - students who won this will have emails sent to their parents), and then Art, where we finished our Spider Spirographs and Name Art.

The day ended with chapel and we sang 'Trading My Sorrows', 'Jesus Loves Me' and "Hey, Jesus Loves Me!"

Have a wonderful evening everyone, and whatever your family does tonight, I pray it will be enjoyable and safe.  :)

October 30, 2013

What a busy, albeit short, day we had today!  The students worked very hard, and accomplished a lot.

We started with Writing Workshop.  Has your child told you about the Opening Exercises we do most days?  It's working on their grammar, punctuation and spelling and gets everyone to work right away in the morning.  We started with that today, and then went on to a lesson on transitions in writing (also, finally, then, etc.).  The students are now working on bringing a personal narrative through to the published phase, and for some this has become a race.  I'm hoping they're not too discouraged when they meet with me and I send them back with lots of changes to make to improve their writing!

After WW we had RW, and I read aloud to the students from 'Matilda' (I figured they needed a break after their hard work in writing!).  Then they had some time for Independent Reading.

This was followed by recess, and then Math.  The grade 4's continued through their work in estimation and likely have one or two questions to complete for homework.  The 3's are working with number lines and noticing patterns when counting by 5's, 10's and 100's.

Then the students had P.E. and P.O.W. with Mr. Banman.

After lunch we had S.S., and the students started on a project where they will create a treasure map. This should be loads of fun while building their mapping skills.  I'm looking forward to seeing their final product!

October 29th, 2013

We had a lengthy talk about bullying and teasing today, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you could extend this at home, as we have some recurring problems with many of the students in our classroom, particularly out on the playground.  Also a reminder to parents that supervision is only provided until 15 minutes after dismissal.  After that, it is the parent's responsibility to supervise their children.

We spent some time working on Flander's Fields (has your child memorized his or hers?  Please continue to work on memorization and projection), which will be presented at Remembrance Day assembly next Friday.

The students had Music, and then we had Math.  The 4's are being pushed to work on estimation, which is proving tricky for many of them as they tend to be perfectionists who always want the exact answer! :)  The 3's are continuing on ordering numbers.

During S.S. we discussed our stereotype assignments, and then continued working on mapping.  The students will have a fun project coming up on this topic!

They finished the day with Library and P.E.

October 28, 2013

Well today sure felt like autumn, albeit a gorgeous autumn day!  Our trees are rapidly shedding their leaves, but the sun has been shining brightly in our classroom!

We began today with Reading Workshop, and the students are continuing through their Guided Reading books focusing on the setting (one of our questions was, "Would your story be the same if the setting was Disneyland?").  Then they finished up some activities related to Chapter 5 of 'Henry and the Clubhouse'.

Spelling was after RW, and the students were given their words.  Some students have asked for more challenging words, which I am eager to provide them.  They will have that option next Monday should they so desire.

Then we had DPA and I shocked the students be having them do Yoga.  They were very reluctant at first, but then ended up having a blast (the majority anyway).  They were amazed at how flexible the woman we were watching was (and she was easily twice my age!). 

After recess we worked on our writing, focusing on interesting leads.  We talked about how using dialogue, foreshadowing, action, character or setting description are all fantastic ways to being a personal narrative.  Then the students went back and edited their own writing.

I gave the students some time to work on their unfinished spirographs from Math/Art last week, and then we went on to regular Math.  The 4's finished their problems relating to Venn and Carroll Diagrams and the 3's worked with me on ordering numbers from least to greatest and vice versa.

After lunch we had Science, and continued our telephone dissection, followed by some work with light, which is what we'll be studying for the next little while.  We have a special guest coming into our classroom on Thursday to do with our Science unit as well!

Take care everyone and have a great evening!

October 24, 2013

The students had the pleasure of witnessing my voice disappear today as the day went on!  Good thing I'm not teaching them tomorrow, as I suspect I'll have nothing left!

We had grammar today, and the children did some review.  Then on to Handwriting, and the Grade 3's finished off their printing and the 4's started F and G.  After that we did our Spelling Test and checked their memory of their books of the Bible.

After recess the children went to a presentation about the composter we now have upstairs!  Get them to tell you all about it. :)

Then they enjoyed some of this beautiful weather for DPA and that was followed by Math.  We all played a fun place value game, which they can easily play at home.  They just need numbers between 0 and 9 on cards (2 sets) and a sheet of paper.  Get them to show you it this weekend!

After Lunch we had a fun Math/Art class, making spiderweb spirographs.  Here are some photos of the kids working on them.  We'll make a display in the hallway once they're done.

October 23, 2013

Writing Workshop was first on the agenda today, and the class continued working on the first draft of a personal narrative.  Some of the kids had trouble stopping, which was such a good sign of how keen they are to work on this project.  We also shared with a neighbour, pointing out different elements of a personal narrative that we heard in their writing (character description, setting description, dialogue and interesting details).

Then we went on to Reading Workshop, and the students were given some time to finish up their Lit. Study Ch. 5 work.  Then I read from 'Matilda' and then the students had silent reading.

Following Recess, we had Math, and time got away on us quickly!  The Grade 4's continued working hard on their work with Venn Diagrams and Carroll Diagrams while the 3's did some work with creating as many numbers as possible using 1 hundred flat, 2 base ten rods and a 1 cube, etc.  We just started to prepare for a fun math game when class was over!  We'll have to check it out tomorrow.

The students then had P.E. with Mr. Banman followed by P.O.W.

After lunch we had S.S., and I shared a story with the students that is all about stereotypes ('The True Story of the Three Little Pigs').  Then we went on to Chapter 2 in the textbook, which is all about describing our world. 

October 22, 2013

We started the day with Bible and we had a quick talk about bullies and behaviour on the playground that helps ensure we are not bullying.  Then we went on to review the books of the Bible, and talk about the difference between true and false.

During RW we worked in our Guided Reading groups focusing on setting, and the students drew pictures of the setting of their stories.  This proved to be quite challenging for a lot of the groups, but was a great learning experience regardless!

For WW the students examined a short story by Lois Lowry and made note of the elements of a personal narrative in that story.  Then they started writing their own personal narrative which they'll have more time to work on tomorrow.

Then they were off to music after recess, and then we had Math together.  The Grade 4 students started working with Venn and Carroll Diagrams today.  The 3's continued with their base ten numbers and regrouping.

After lunch the students had S.S., and we discussed stereotypes.  They have some interesting homework to be done over the weekend about this topic too!

They then had Library and P.E.  Have a great night!

October 22, 2013

We started off our week with RW, and continued reading aloud together from 'Henry and the Clubhouse'.  I'm working with the students in class on their expression when reading out loud.  Please encourage the same at home (that their questions actually sound like questions, etc.) for continuity.  They then worked on some activities related to Chapter 5 from this book.

Afterwards we had our Spelling Pre-Test.  No memory verse this week as it's a shorter week, but the children will be assessed on the first few books of the Bible (from Genesis to Eccl.), so please review this with them.

We enjoyed our usual game of soccer for DPA, and then after Recess we had WW.  The students are doing the preliminary 'Explore' stage of their narrative writing.  Ask them about some of the ideas they wrote down on their idea bank today (and even ask them about the foolish thing I did with ketchup a few days ago!).

Math came next, and the Gr. 3's worked with me on writing numbers in different ways by regrouping tens and hundreds.  The 4's continued on with their work from Friday.

We had Science as our class after lunch and the kids had a BLAST doing our dissection...not of an animal, but of a phone!  Ask them what makes the phone ring, how the dialing happens and what the parts all look like.  The only thing we couldn't get undone was the microphone portion (none of us were strong enough!).

Mrs. Hills led chapel today, and Mrs. Everett led worship.

Enjoy these beautiful autumn days everyone!  God bless!

Friday, October 18th

We started today with Devotions with Mrs. Everett followed by the spelling test and memory verse test.  If you're not seeing these come home, please ask your child about it, as they are always handed back before the end of the day Friday.

Then we had R.W., and we worked together through the comprehension and connection questions from Ch. 4 and read Ch. 5 (or most of it anyway) together.

After Recess the students had Math, and continued on their work with place value.  The Grade 4's added greater than and less than to their repertoire today.  Most students have a bit of homework to take care of this weekend in Math.

I followed this with working on the poem 'In Flanders Fields' with the students, as our class has the honour of presenting this poem to the school at the Remembrance Day Assembly (Nov. 8th).  Each child has lines to memorize, and I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd practice with them at home.

Then we went on to work on our typing technique in the lab.

After lunch today we did some work in Science (ask your child about the experiment where we created a model of an ear drum!). On October 31 we have a special visitor coming in related to our Science unit, so that's something to look forward to.

The kids ended their week with P.E.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend with your family!

Thursday, October 18, 2013

We started today with adding three more books to our 'Books of the Bible' list (we're at Ecclesiastes now, and that one is a mouthful for these kids to say!).  Then we finished off this topic in Bible about building our foundations on the rock, not the sand.  Then the students worked on handwriting and contractions, as well as some grammar review.

They had an earthquake drill during library time today, which proved interesting as there isn't a multitude of hiding locations in that room.  They figured it out though, and everyone was safe.

After recess the students had Music, and then an outdoor DPA session with Mrs. Everett.

We had Math today as well, and the students continued their work with place value, using base ten materials.  The Grade 4's found different ways of showing the same number, and the 3's were working on writing numbers in expanded (300+50+3) and standard (353) form.

After lunch we had Art, and the students finished their name art from last day.  I also read to them from 'Matilda' during this time.

We finished the day with chapel, led by Mrs. Bloch and she talked about what we can do when we're having a rotten day, which we all have. Hopefully today wasn't a rotten day for any of your children! :)

October 16, 2013

We started today with Writing Workshop, learning how to revise and edit our own and each other's work.  The students had an opportunity to put that into practice immediately following the lesson.

During Reading Workshop we had Guided Reading, and the students worked with their Guided Reading groups on a character trait handout, focusing on the traits, actions and dialogue of one of the characters in their novels.

For Math we continued our work with place value, writing numbers in standard and expanded form (gr. 4) and pictorially (gr. 3).

The students had P.E. with Mr. Banman, as well as a Problem of the Week.

Following Lunch we had S.S. and we finished our charts about sources of information today, and each group presented their findings to the class. 

October 15, 2013

Welcome back after a long, and hopefully restful, weekend!  We started today with Spelling (list words are posted, along with the memory verse), and then went on to Reading Workshop.  We discussed character traits and came up with an awesome list of different character traits.  Then the children read independently for a few minutes and came up with MORE character traits which they wrote down on post-it notes. 

After RW we went on to WW, and the students spent a bit of time working on a short write about a special memory.  Tomorrow we'll work on revising and editing these.

After Recess the students had Music and then Math.  The Gr. 4's worked on their corrections and the 3's started our new unit on Number Concepts.

The kids enjoyed the beautiful weather outside at lunch today!

During the afternoon we had S.S. and the students who hadn't yet shared their posters did, and then we went on to work on a quick assignment about sources of information and which were useful and which were not.

The students finished their day with Library and P.E.

October 9, 2013

Here we are at the end of our week already!  We had a lot to fit into today, and we started with Writing Workshop. The children completed their projects they are working on for you, and some continued working on their Poetry Anthologies.  We did a bingo activity today in writing too, and the children came up with lots of great ideas to write about this year!

Then on to our Spelling test, which was all review words and most got them all correct. :)

This was followed by Reading Workshop, and we enjoyed another chapter of 'Matilda' from our read aloud, and then had 15 minutes of silent reading.

After recess we had our Math test.  I'll mark these over the weekend and have them back to the students by Tuesday.  They will be expected to correct any errors on their test.

They then had P.E. with Mr. Banman, followed by 20 minutes of S.S. poster presentations.

After lunch those who weren't done their Math tests finished them, we shared the last few S.S. posters, and then filled out our planners with the heaps of homework the children have for the weekend. :)

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone!  I'm looking forward to the 2-day Teacher's Convention in Surrey and coming back next week full of new ideas to work into my plans for the year!  Enjoy plenty of turkey and time with your families this weekend and savour all the blessings He has richly bestowed upon all of us.  Take care!

October 8, 2013

We started with Bible today and the students works more on building their foundations on the Rock, along with adding 3 more books to our memory of the books of the Bible.

During RW we worked through some more comprehension and extension activities of Henry and the Clubhouse.  For WW the students worked on their Thanksgiving surprises for you. :)

The children had Music after recess followed by Math, in which they did review for their tests tomorrow.  Some haven't finished their worksheets and I encouraged them to bring them home to study from.

After lunch we had S.S. and we discussed the difference between a fact and a opinion, and the students had 10 minutes to continue on their posters, which are due tomorrow. 

The students finished their day with Library and P.E.

October 7, 2013 - Assembly and bats!

We started today as we do every first Monday of the month, with an assembly.  Mr. Morrow talked about some upcoming events (the long weekend and the earthquake drill on October 17th to name a couple), and then sent us on our way.

For Reading Workshop today we started Chapter 4 of 'Henry and the Clubhouse'.  The students also listened to another chapter of 'Matilda'.

They had a Spelling Pre-test (yes, there is Spelling this week, but the list is short and the words are quite simple), but no memory verse this week.

For D.P.A. we enjoyed a game of soccer in the gym, and then the students had an indoor recess  due to the rain.

During Writing Workshop we worked on a little surprise for you for Thanksgiving, and that's all I'll say about that! ;)

The students found out today that they will have a Math test on Wednesday.  I told them that they can bring their textbooks and duotangs home to review and make sure their corrections are done if they'd like to.

After lunch (the rain let up so they could play outside for a while) we had Science and we played a neat game in the gym where we found out if we can hear the same way bats do (using echolocation). Then we returned to the class and the students tried an experiment where they closed their eyes, had a book in front of them and spoke, then did the same without a book in front of them (noticing the echo).  We also discussed how when humans make noise it's done via vibrations in the vocal chords, and we looked at a diagram of vocal chords.

We ended the day with chapel, and it was awesome to have the middle school worship team leading the music today!

October 4, 2013

Mrs. Everett started today with devotions with the students and administered their spelling test as well.  Then we had Guided Reading groups, a discussion and questions about visualization (ties into our writing topic right now about using sensory details), and then I read from 'Matilda'. 

After Recess we had Math, and the students worked on corrections and then continued with some additional practice with patterns.  Next week we will have a test on what has been taught (and hopefully learned!) so far, but I'm not mentioning this to the children yet. 

Then we went to the lab to read some hilarious poetry by Shel Silverstein.  The children each copied one poem out into their Poetry Anthology (their collection of poetry they enjoy), and then they worked on All The Right Type for 15 minutes.

Some hard-working students enjoyed a pizza lunch with me today (part of the monthly B.U.G. draw), and then we had another session in the lab, this time working with www.studyladder.ca .  Your child has his or her login information written in his or her planner, as well as an information sheet for you with that information on it.  We experimented with it a bit today, and I encouraged the children to work with it this weekend at home.  It reinforces what we're learning at school and helps to build their confidence as well.

The students ended their day with P.E. with Mr. Banman.

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend everyone!  Here's hoping this fantastic weather continues! :)

October 3, 2013

We started the day today talking about our poster in the classroom that Mr. Morrow printed off for each class.  It shows the virtues and values that our school feels are important and we will be focusing on one or two each month.  This month we're talking about "Being Thankful".  Feel free to carry over this theme at home to help reinforce the ideas. 

Then we briefly talked about our Bible topic, building our foundations on the Rock, and worked on the first 15 books of the Bible. 

After that the students had Handwriting (Grade 4's are working on cursive C and Grade 3's are working on printed KLMNOPQR).  

This was followed by Grammar, and our lesson today was suffixes and compound words.

This was followed by a quick visit to the library and then recess, Music and DPA.

After DPA we had Math, and the students finished their corrections and then the Grade 3's worked on textbook Page 33 (all have finished now) and the 4's worked on their Extra Practice sheets.

Following Lunch we finished our classroom time with Art, and the students started work on a name poster using patterns.  We'll finish them next week.

We ended the day with Chapel (have you tried the Fruits of the Spirit song at home yet?).

Enjoy your evening everyone!

October 2, 2013

Writing Workshop was what we began today with, and the students continued working on their poems about Autumn (many are now finished).  These will be displayed on our Wall of Fame in the classroom, so feel free to pop by and have a look at them anytime. 

After WW, we had RW, and the students enjoyed a chapter in Matilda.  Then they continued with our Literature Study of 'Henry and the Clubhouse', continuing through Chapter 3.

After Recess we had Math.  The students did a Problem of the Week this week too, that really got them thinking and required the use of their knowledge about patterns. 

The students also had P.E. with Mr. Banman today.

After Lunch we had S.S. and the students had their last working block for their culture posters. 

October 1st - A new month already!

October is here, and we greeted it with a productive day at school.  Starting with Bible, we worked on our list of the books of the Bible today.  See if your child can list the books of the Bible up to Ezra (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra), as they should have this memorized by now, and many demonstrated that they did in class today.  Then we continued our discussion on the importance of building our lives on the Rock.

The children then had a silent reading block, followed by Writing Workshop, where we continued to work with the sensory detail of colour.  We also started work on a colour poem today!

After recess the children has Music, and then we went on to Math.  We continued through to the last page of this chapter in the Grade 3 text (Show What You Know), and the Grade 4's are working on some extra practice sheets as well.  If the students weren't done their corrections which were for homework, they were expected to complete them before any other work in class.  We also started subtraction in our math drills today, so if you're working on this at home, please switch from addition to subtraction to help with their skills.

After lunch we had S.S., and the students worked on finishing off their culture posters.  These should be quite the works of art and information by the time they're complete, as they're going to share with the class many of the traditions their families have!  I'm looking forward to reading them. :)

The class ended their day with Library and P.E.

Take care and have a restful evening!

September 30, 2013

Well here we are at the last day of September already!  The month has flown by, and October is likely to race by even more quickly, what with holidays and 3 Pro-D Days! 

Today began with RW, and the students continued with their Literature Study of 'Henry and the Clubhouse'.  They are finishing the questions to do with Chapter 3 now. 

Afterwards they did their Spelling pre-test (words can be found on the Spelling page), and were so relieved to see that this week's memory verse is much shorter than the last two.  :)

They enjoyed an indoor game of soccer for DPA, then had recess. 

During WW we talked about using our senses in writing, focusing this time on words to do with colour.  Each student was paired with another and worked on words that are a certain colour (i.e. blue - blueberries, water, ocean, sky, etc.).  Ask your child what colour he or she worked on and the words they came up wtih.

Then we had Math, and many students had corrections to do from last week's work.  Some have this for homework if they didn't manage to complete it in class.

We had a fun Science class this afternoon, where we learned about the difference between the speed of light and the speed of sound.  Ask the students about our experiment and what they learned (it involved a whistle and we went outside).

Then, what they had all been waiting for, we finally had our B.U.G. draw!  The students were thrilled to discover that the grand prize was a pizza B.U.G. lunch with me on Friday.  I will contact the parents of those children who will be joining me Friday so that they are in the loop. 

Friday is also a school spirit day, meaning that the children can wear Fall colours in lieu of their uniform if they bring $1 which will go towards the middle school missions trip later this year.

September 27,2013

Sorry for the late post today!  We are celebrating my daughter's ninth birthday this afternoon so it's busy busy busy!  As they swim at the pool I figured I'd update you on what went down in Grade 3/4 today. 

We started the day with the start of a new component to Reading Workshop; Guided Reading groups. The children are grouped in groups of 3-4 students and are working together on reading a novel. Most of the reading will be done out loud which is a great opportunity for them to practice their fluency and expression. They will do group activities and projects based on their books as well as some individual comprehension work. Here are some photos from today's groups:  

After recess the students had Math and they continued with their work on patterns.  The Grade 4's are now working with a favorite program of mine called Math to the Max to build their confidence with this unit. The grade 3's will be starting it soon as well. 

For WW today we talked about helping our readers hear what is happening in our writing. Ask them about some of the sound words we talked about today. We had a fun time reading an extensive list of them. 

Then off to the lab for some typing practice. Most of the students are very consistent about keeping their hands on the home row which is major progress. 

After lunch we had Science and we did an interesting experiment about sound and what materials block sound and which don't. Ask your child what he or she discovered about this topic. 

The students ended their day with PE with a special guest teacher - Mr. Morrow!  I hope they had a blast. 

I can't figure out how to update the homework page from my phone but the only work this weekend is overdue work and the Spelling Worksheet for Unit #4. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

September 26, 2013 - Terry Fox Run!

We started this morning with Bible, and we used the block to discuss Terry Fox, and the Christ-like personality traits that he exemplified in his effort to run across Canada.  We also worked on our memory verse in anticipation of the test tomorrow, as it's a doozy!

For Handwriting the Grade 3 students worked on printing G, H, I, and J, and the 4's focused on the letter A in cursive.

In Grammar today we discussed words that are spelled the same but have different meanings (pound, wind, etc.), and prefixes.

Then the students had 20 minutes to catch up on work that wasn't complete yet.

After Recess we had the Terry Fox Run which was lots of fun and the weather couldn't have been better!  The students understood the person and cause they were running for which made it even more meaningful for them.

This was followed up with Math.  The Grade 4's finished the 'Show What You Know' section on patterns while the 3's worked with me on decreasing patterns again.  We also did another math drill.  Next month we're going on to subtraction drills.  Please feel free to search for math drills online to work on at home with your child as this will increase their memory for their basic facts which is essential for success in mathematics.

We had Art in the afternoon and the students who weren't finished their Initial paintings worked on those, and the remainder of the class worked on their Social Studies culture posters.

We ended the day with Chapel (we learned an awesome new worship song - find the video here - that the kids loved).