You CAN Sprout an Avocado Seed!

I have a very inquisitive little girl who likes LOVES projects of all sorts... science projects, art projects, craft projects, etc.  She wants to learn how to do EVERYTHING!  A few weeks ago as my mom and I made homemade guacamole, my very inquisitive little girl looks at me and says, "I wonder if we could sprout this big seed!".  Of course, I've always heard it's practically impossible to sprout much less get to grow into a tree and harvest avocados...for various reasons I'm sure - GMO, splicing, grafting, climate, etc.  Anyway - we took our chances, I did a bit of research, and we began collecting avocado seeds.  Since I'm an avid recycler, we began planting them a couple at a time in yogurt and orange juice containers; then sitting them in a warm, but shady spot on our back deck. There are all sorts of ugly, but very useful plastic planters housing about a half-dozen unsuccessful attempts.

We checked daily for the whole month of June and...nothing.  Then we took our family vacation and when we got back...viola!  We had a sprout!  Yay - we were sooooo excited.  Below is a picture of our success story, which of course...just adds fuel to the fire of wanting to keep trying some more.  I mean - who doesn't want an avocado grove in their backyard? 

There was really nothing special to the process.  I have read that you can't use seeds from avocados that have been refrigerated.  Maybe that explains the many failures.  I pretty sure this was one we had just bought a day or two previously.  My very inquisitive little girl also reminded me that "THIS was the seed we peeled the seed coat off of before we planted it".  We did wash the avocado meat off the seed and let it dry out a few days first.

So, get busy everyone - plant your avocados, dig in your compost bin (They sometimes sprout in there!), and come back to tell us your story.  I have another one sitting in my kitchen window anxiously awaiting to be planted.

Science Picture of the Month: July - ANT HILLS!

Recently, I took my children on a day trip to visit my grandmother.  As we drove up, I noticed this very interesting pile of dirt on her walkway.  Now, I wasn't an uptown girl by any means and I didn't live way out in the country on a farm either, but I did spend the majority of my childhood outside, exploring.  Even now, I spend most of my free moments outside and I have NEVER seen a pile of dirt as intriguing.

With a little more investigation and determination to keep my little guy from squashing it, I discovered hundreds of little ants scurrying in and out of each hole!  They were busily carrying one grain of dirt from beneath my grandmother's walkway and dumping it over the edges.  As they all worked ever so diligently, together they created this fantastic ant hill to resemble a flower.

I didn't have my good camera with me, so I relied my phone camera.  The picture doesn't do this thing justice.  After a bit of research, I haven't seen any other pictures or information about ant hills of this nature.   

Does anyone know anything about this species of ant?

Here's the other picture I took - a bird's eye view shot.  Still, the picture doesn't show the distinct details we could see.  The ants just sort of blend in with the dirt.

What a wonderful world it would be if we ALL worked together so diligently!  We could do some magnificent things!  This has inspired me to promote "togetherness" in my classroom even more.  So many times my students try to outperform the other, and my parents have a difficult time connecting with my purpose.  I'm a bit inspired to develop one of my first science lessons around "ANTS" for this coming school year!

Does anyone have "ANT" ideas to share for 4th grade?

Staples - Reward A Classroom Program!!

How exciting!  I just got back from a mini-shopping trip to get the 1 cent deals and noticed at the bottom of my receipt that Staples has made it possible to earn up to $2,000 on your Staples Reward card!  All you do is provide your Teacher Reward Card # and some other identifying information, print the information flyer to send home with your students, and viola...you can begin earning rewards when your parents sign up to link to your account.  You are allowed to earn $50 each for up to 40 students.  Click this link www.staples.com/rewardaclassroom or click the icon below for more details.

"Frugal Teaching?" Series: Tip #1

Because of the struggling economy, there is a lot of talk these days about frugality and saving money or cutting corners whenever possible.  As for teachers, there is very little in the way of classroom funds whether from adopters, local governments, or even parents.  This leads teachers to fund their own classroom activities and supplies.  Now, teachers are not paid six figure incomes.  As a matter of fact, some single teachers would qualify for an EBT card, especially if they have children!  I would love to do a series of posts over the next few weeks on the subject of "FRUGAL TEACHING" for the public school teacher!  If you have any tips or ideas that save your hard earned limited paycheck for your family, please share.

Frugal Teaching Tip #1 - Save Envelopes from Junk Mail

My drawer of junk mail envelopes!

I'm really not sure what prompted me to begin this practice, but it has saved me from buying boxes and boxes of envelopes or sandwich bags.  Since I've always taught elementary school children, I've always requested that parents/guardians send any money and permission notes to school in envelopes/sandwich bags labeled with all pertinent information.  Many times, this practice does not happen so I end up spending my classroom allotted money or my own personal money on those items (which, unfortunately usually gets  ripped open and thrown away shortly after being turned in).

You may be thinking, "Envelopes? Sandwich bags?  Those don't cost THAT much."  Well, since I teach math I began to do the figuring.  I agree, a couple boxes of each for one school year doesn't cost that much...but, multiply that by how many years you've been teaching and possibly providing the same items for your own  children's classroom teachers!

Here's my example using a box of 100 all purpose envelopes and a box of 100 sandwich bags you can pick up at just about any local retailer...

approximate cost $1.65

$1.65 x 2 = $3.30 for 2 boxes per school year

$3.30 x 14 = $46.20 over the passed  14 years

approximate cost $2.98

$2.98 x 2 = $5.96 for 2 boxes per school year

$5.96 x 14 = $83.44 over the passed 14 years

Total cost for 14 years of teacher funded envelopes and sandwich bags... $129.64

That's not a lot of money for 14 years, but I had much rather have it in my bank account!  Not to mention, the impact on the environment with more and more throw away products!  Just this summer while taking a break from the classroom, I have collected a whole drawer full of junk mail envelopes to use this year.  Give it a try!  Put it on your newsletters and request parents to do the same.  Be sure to have a designated space in your classroom for the envelopes that pour in and count the change you save...it will add up!

What's in a Name?

To answer that question...more than I ever imagined!  I realize as I begin to "blog" again, I have a lot  2 Learn!  Blogging has evolved into a massive industry and with that comes many oops and phooeys...  So, the name of this blog WILL remain the same.  Teaching is my passion and learning is a product, therefore, the name of this blog fits better than a bowl full of berries and vanilla ice cream...

I happened upon a wonderful site that offers all the information possible for blogging successfully...  But, there is a "catch" as usual.  I must pay, PaY, pAy for their knowledge.  And, of course the first thing I look for is a coupon code...found a couple, however, the discounted price is still a bit steep.  Will be thinking about that step...

So, as I begin 2 Learn all about the blogging world again...I'm begging of you all, a little patience and any advice!

Perfect book for this reopening journey!!

Blog REopening...I hope!

A few of my favorite things...

Ok, so I took a MUCH longer break than anticipated...3 years and some odd months to be more exact.  It's truly amazing how living life with your children and following the "rat race" really burns up time.  I had no idea 3 years had passed...

Much has happened in 3 years...as I am sure it has with everyone.  I'm now teaching 4th grade math and science, and have begun having health problems as a result of stress.   The "RE" opening of this blog is in hopes of adding more stress sharing my insights with others and in turn generating a few dollars through ads for our family to enjoy exploring and discovering this world together.

I'm still passionate about and  LOVE, LoVe, lOvE teaching, but have discovered that I'm not so sure about continuing my career in a public school setting.  The demands are difficult to achieve and the resources are shrinking yearly, monthly, and almost daily throughout the school year.  I'm searching for what my mom calls, "a happy medium", so that teaching isn't ALL consuming.  I took a step back about a year ago when my 7 year old asked me how many more days of school there was, and as I answered "only 10", she quickly replied with..."You mean only 10 more days then you will be able to play with us again?".  That was heart wrenching and still is...  But, then I began to notice...school was everywhere... in our family van, in my purse, in my living room, on my kitchen table, in my bedroom, on my mind, and yes...for heaven's sake I even take it to the bathroom with me.  Ugh, that was a wake up call.

Teaching is NOT an 8-3 job as most people think.  It isn't for the faint at heart.  IT IS WORK... and it NEVER ends...not even during my much loved summer breaks.  I am still required to attend inservice classes, develop curriculum, answer emails, prepare my classroom, etc.  I am required to show professionalism even in the midst of a tumultuous parent that calls me names, threatens to fight me, and then talks trash about me simply because he/she doesn't understand the curriculum requirements to which I must adhere.

I've recently had mixed feelings about finding another career path, but then realize I am a teacher at heart!  I teach everyday...my kids, my students, my Bible class students, myself!  I've even recently applied for another job that is teaching families, not just 4th grade math and science to a select few students I'm privileged to get to know.  I want this new "RE"vamped blog to teach others...whoever may stop by.  I hope to, in the future, transfer this blog to another hosting site as I learn about the blogging world.  Please...be patient as I will be SLOW while figuring out the directions to travel.  But, I'm inviting you to take this journey with me!