Snowshoeing Season has Begun

Snowshoeing has begun! My friend Dustin Randall called and asked if I wanted to head home this weekend and snowshoe into Bronson's cabin. I couldn't resist. So I took a personal day from work, called my friend Christina and spontaneously headed down to Monticello to start the snowshoeing season out right. We met up with Dustin, Scott Frost, Morgan Barton, and their friend from Sweden named Linus. It was an amazing trip. The snow was great! Here is a little picture walk through our trip...

Here are the boys just after strapping their shoes on to head out


Christina and I were already ready to go...


My first slip of the trip... I stepped on my own show when I stopped to take a picture... When I tried to move, I went down pretty quick...


My friends have good taste in gear


We made it the cabin in just enough time to get a fire started and dinner cooking before the sun went down


We made tortilla soup and had jalapeno cheese bread... plus, a lot of "comfort" food as Linus liked to say...


Inside the cabin, packing up to head out


The group before leaving the cabin. Nice view of the mountain...


I thought this picture was quite a work of art... we all tried to catch the icicle just as it dripped


Check out the cool shadows from the trees


Scott crossing the meadow... another great view of the Abajo's...


The sunset on the drive home

How well do you know your Christmas Carols?

To emphasize the importance of word choice and to teach great skills such as how to use a thesaurus, my students have been working on quite a fun little Christmas holiday writing project. I gave each student the lyrics to a fairly well-known Christmas carol. After finding all of the common nouns, actions verbs and adjectives, students began changing the words, creating their own song lyrics, while keeping the same message as the original song...

...They turned out so funny that today I was in tears I was enjoying myself so much as I read them. Here are a few snippets! See if you can name that tune while looking into the thoughts and imaginations of some fourth graders!

Kris Kringle is Approaching the City

You better look out, you better not bawl, you better not wine, I'm telling you why... Kris Kringle is approaching the city. He's writing a record and monitoring it twice, gonna find out who's mean and giving. Kris Kringle is approaching the city...

Answer: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Above the Roof

Up on the roof, Buck's wait. Out leaps great, old-aged St. Nick. Descending down the fireplace with a load of good, all for the small ones holiday happiness. Ho, ho ho, who wouldn't hit the road? Ho, ho ho, who wouldn't hit the road? Up on the roof, bang, bang, bang, descending through the fireplace with great Santa Clause...

Answer: Up on the Housetop

Bobsled Tour

...Come on, there are enchanting elements for a bobsled tour together with you. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up, let's cruise. Let's view the fireworks. We're touring in a paradise blizzard. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up it's majestic, just embracing your hand.. we're gliding along with the lullaby of a frosty fairy land...

Answer: Sleigh Ride

Freezing Dream World

Sleigh alarms ring, are you listening? In the road, snow fall is sparkling. An appealing sight, we're gleeful tonight, cantering in a freezing dream world...

Answer: Winter Wonderland

Jogging around the Pine Tree

Jogging around the pine tree at the night party celebration. A plant hung where you can look, every husband and wife tried to stop. Jogging around the pine tree, let the holiday spirit sound like bells. Later we'll have some yam pie an we'll do some Christmas singing...

Answer: Rockin around the Christmas Tree

I needed a good happy laughter today and these song lyrics did the trick!

I keep moving, moving....

I have relaxed a lot over the last few years of teaching. I hate to admit it, but I think I was kind of a dictator my first few years... Don't get me wrong, I still keep very strict order, I'm just not afraid to be spontaneous and have fun anymore.

Take today's science lesson for example. We were doing a review for our Science test on the "Water Cycle." I have a "water Cycle" rap song that I decided to share with them as part of the review. We went over the words to the song as a shared read before I let them hear the music. As soon as I turned the music on, they all naturally started bobbing their heads and swaying their shoulders. I asked them if they wanted to get up and dance. There was a unanimous YES!! So we decided to have a little class dance, right then and there, stopping only to sing the chorus...

"I rise to the air from the sea below, then down to the ground as rain and snow, I keep moving, moving, cause I'm the water cycle... moving, moving, cause I"m the water cycle."

My favorite was when even my shy quiet girls were demonstrating the water cycle with their arms as they grooved to the beat. Yes, they demonstrated, evaporation, precipitation and they had a special move they created for every time the song said "water cycle."

I love being a teacher.

Uganda here I come...

So it's true... I am going to Uganda next summer for six weeks as a service volunteer. My friend Kim Hall is going with me and I couldn't be more thrilled. I have always wanted to do such a thing and who knows if I will ever have the opportunity again. We are going with a company called HELP International that was started by a few BYU professors ten years ago. Our responsibilities will range from working with kids in schools, to construction, to health education for adults. I can't wait. What a life-changing opportunity.