First Grade Picnic

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to the first grade picnic.  The kids had a great time playing and socializing with their peers (although, there was a lot of whining because the drinking fountains were not working).  

Our ducks are doing well!  We got to take them outside yesterday and let them roam around in the grass.  It is really cute because they all stick together.  A couple people have asked if the ducks have homes.  Yes!  The ducks in our classroom have been spoken for.  Two of the yellow buffs will be going home with a family who has taken ducks from us in the past.  The chocolate runners and the other buff will be going home with one of my students from last year.  These are farm ducks, so they can not be released at West Lake, yes I have had more than one request from students for that.  :)

Ducks and Kids

These are actually from yesterday, all of the kids will eventually get to hold the ducklings.  They don't really like to be held so I don't want to overwhelm them with being held by 17 kids all at once! 

Cute Little Guys!

The ducklings are so stinking cute!  They had their first professional photo shoot today.  Cassi Bird came in today to take some pictures of the ducks.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with her work, she is AMAZING!  She is so good with my girls, she captures their personalities and gets my stubborn four year old to actually look at the camera.

Check out her facebook page here for more pictures of the ducks today!

And her website here!

Tomorrow the ducklings will be spending the day with Mrs. Carlson's class.  We are having a difficult time getting things accomplished with the ducks in our classroom and unfortunately, they have not had any eggs hatch.  We are going to share the wealth of ducks and get some work done tomorrow.  Don't worry, I will still update with adorable duckling pictures.  I have a few from today, that I am having some technical difficulties with. :)

I couldn't resist this one, they are so cute sleeping and I love when they sleep in the food dish.  

More Ducks!

I can't get over how cute these things are!  The girls and I came to school around 6:30 this morning.  We were all so excited to see what hatched over night.  There were three more ducks in the incubator and one more that still had his beak poked through.  Egg number 6 is still in there but I'm thinking he is not going to hatch.   After watching the little guy in the shell for a while Mrs. Carlson and I felt strongly that if we didn't help him, he wouldn't make it.  We very carefully began peeling back the shell.  He got his head out, then a foot and then a wing.  He was so tired.  The kids got to see parts of him hatching.  He finally made his way out and we put him in the box with the other four.  That was NOT the best idea.  The other ducks were picking on him.  The larger yellow one is kind of a bully.  He got a time out already.  Lucky for me, we had another tank in the science lab and he is basking in the heat light by himself until he gets a little stronger.  He is so tired!

Afternoon Update:

The five ducklings are very loved.  The students really want to hold them.  We let them run around and many students were able to pet the ducklings.  One of the yellow ones is a bully.  We have not named them yet.  Earl is still the only one with a name. We need to work on that.  Although, they are very difficult to tell apart.  In the words of one of the first graders "TWINSIES!"  :)

He's Here!

My girls have named him Earl, since he was early.  :)

He is sooooo cute!  He is basking under the heat lamp trying to stay warm.  I am trying to keep my children away from him until he is a little bit bigger.  Whitney wants to give him lots of kisses and Natalie really wants him to sleep in her bed.  Crazy girls!

I was lucky enough to get some videos of Earl's arrival!

Amost Here!

I was going to Freeport today to spend some time with family and I figured I should stop by and check on the eggs since they are due to hatch tomorrow or Tuesday.  I am very thankful that I stopped this morning because I got to see this!

 

I was a little uneasy all day in Freeport because I was worried about the little guy so I stopped back by the school on my way home and FIVE, yes FIVE have broken the shell.  None of them are out yet but number 2 is really trying.  It is so cool to watch the eggs move.  Number 5 is a noisy little guy.  He might have to spend some time in the hallway if he is that noisy out of the egg.  I am hanging out with my girls in the classroom for a little bit longer in hopes that number 2 comes out before we leave. 

 

We knew egg number 1 was not going to hatch.  Number 6 has shown no signs of hatching, but I am not giving up hope yet.  They are not due to hatch until tomorrow or Tuesday so he may just be taking his sweet time.  I am going to try to get a video before I leave tonight to show the kids.  I really wish they were here right now to experience this with me.  I think they will probably be out of the shell before they come in the morning.

Braids Against Bullies!

Our school is taking a stand against bullies!  Today is Braids Against Bullies Day!

As you can see, lots of friends wore braids today. Even I have pigtail braids. :)

Brookfield Zoo

To say that we had fun today is a total understatement!  We had a blast.  Every time I ran into a group, kids were laughing, smiling and having a great time.  Thank you so much to all of the parent volunteers who braved the zoo with a us.  We had a nice little concert on the bus on the way home also.  Thank you to the girls for the entertainment!  

I was very proud to be a Pecatonica 1st Grade Teacher today.  There were many schools at the zoo today and quite frankly, not all of the students at the zoo were well behaved.  Every time I saw Pec 1st Graders (from any of our awesome 1st grade classes)  they were on their best behavior.  Even when they couldn't see me!  I saw kids from our school using manners, saying please and thank you and being respectful even when others around them were not.  Kudos to the parents of our students for teaching them to be respectable young ladies and young men.  I am so proud of every single first grader!

Muffins for Moms

Thank you to everyone to came to Muffins for Moms this morning.  The kids had so much fun and are still buzzing about it.  I am so thankful for  everything the moms of my students do and a silly muffin really isn't enough to tell you how much I appreciate you!

I hope you all have a fantastic Mother's Day!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do!