Hello this is Marty,Janet's husband.  I am publishing this in a tribute to my wife Janet who passed away one year ago today, 2.1.2016.  In the last twelve months I have thought of her so much and those thoughts were of so many happy times spanning 50 years ago since we met Valentine's Day 1966.  I have been keeping busy during the day but nights are lonely without her.  My strength comes from those many memories.

Click the link below ;
 In Memory of Janet

Thanks to all of our friends who gave so much support during her illness.

Love you all,
Marty

Another change in my life style

Last spring I wrote that I was not going to finish the year volunteering with the First Graders at Kaiser.  I was not stable and could not promise to show up regularly.  I had already missed most of the year and that was not good for the children.

I had planned to start volunteering again this month when school started.  But I am finding I still tire easily and working with First Graders is a lot of being on my feet.  A-Fib still pops up and kick the props out from under me.  So I called it a no go for this year.  I have to keep me strong and I have to think of the regular schedule small children need. 

I will miss working with the children.  And I will really hate not being with Ms. H.  But you gotta do what you gotta do.

I will continue at the Marriage Factory.  Staff can do my job if I can't make it.  If I can give them warning, one of the volunteers comes in and does an extra shift. If we are real busy, I don't do much walking, runners bring the couples up to the Marriage Room. 

I will find other things to write about.  I will vent, rant, and maybe even make up things just to keep it interesting.

Another Happy Place

Friday I went back to Kaiser School to see my first graders.  I hadn't been to school since the first part of March.  And I had really missed working with the children.  Just pulling into the school made me happy.

Ms. H and I both got teary eyed and hugged a lot.  The children were so excited to see me, which made me feel great.  It was pretty emotional for all of us.

Ms. H asked me to explain to the class what was going on with me that prevented my volunteering.  I told them their hearts beat steady and go ba bum, ba bum, ba bum, ba bum around 70 times a minutes.  But mine at times goes babum, babum,             ba  bum,   ba . . . . . . . . .bumbum,  ba bum, babum babum, around 190 times a minute.  I compared it to them playing tag/ running races and being worn out after 30 minutes.  My heart ran those races for days.  I carefully told them it was treatable, I just was so worn out I wasn't strong enough to come work with them.

They seemed to understand on a simple level that I was sick, tired, but going to be OK.  Then they told me things they had done the last 2 1/2 months.  Paper Mache globes were made, the ducks hatched,  they had field trips, one little boy got a "baby" dog, one little girl had spent time in Turkey visiting family.  Lots of adventures were shared. 

The class had all made me big hearts with sweet notes on them.  Before they left for lunch they all gave me hugs and again made me cry.  This class has been so sweet, trouble at times, but sweet.

Even if I cried, this was a visit that made me really happy.  Keep your fingers crossed that in September I will be able to commit to working with the next class of first graders.

I need this happy place.

Kaiser, not that one, the school

Tuesdays for 13 years I have volunteered at Kaiser Elementary School.  This year I have rarely been there with all the drama of my health issues.  That is a really bad thing.  Young children need consistency in their life.  If I say I will be there Tuesday at 9:00, I better be there.  This year I have had no consistency.  And when there, my energy level has been low and I haven't been myself.

After a lot of thought, talking to Marty and friends, I decided not to go back this the year.  I have missed months and that is just not good for the children.  I will miss them.  But they need someone who shows up and can keep up with their energy level. 

I hope to be able to go back in August for the new school year.  I really do like working with first graders.  Those hugs are awesome. 

Stuffy Day

Stuffy is a new word to me.  Although any first grader can tell you what it means.  Stuffed animals have been renamed stuffies. From what little research I have done, it looks as if a brand of stuffed animals is Stuffy and it has become a generic word like Kleenex.

Tuesday the Kaiser first graders brought their favorite stuffies.  Most of the day's work used stuffies: creative writing, handwriting, scientific observation, math.

 

  

Above you see the IKEA  measures.  One side was inches and the other centimeters.  Tuesday we used centimeters.

 

 



 This table measured ears, paws, torsos, and around the toy from head to toe.  The  biggest problem at all tables was holding the measure at the starting point and using the other hand to go around the toy. 

 They had to measure 5 areas, write what was measured and what was the measurement.

After measuring the different parts of the stuffy, they had to write three observations. Such as the ear is bigger than the eye.  The head is bigger than the tail.

 

 

Later they had to finish sentences about their stuffy.   My stuffy's  name is                    .   My stuffy eats________________.   My stuffy can _______________.  My stuffy like to __________.

 

 

This fierce leopard likes to purr, and it eats candy.  The bear is so well loved, his fur is rubbed smooth.  The bear likes to play tricks.

 

 

Some stuffies looked brand new.  Maybe they were a Christmas present, or just a recent gift from a shopping trip.  Others, like the bear in the previous picture and this leopard, have been with their child a long time.  Our little leopard eats deer.  I think it must be the best hunter in the room.  Little leopard no longer has eyes or a nose.  But it is a greatly loved toy.  

 

Stuffy day was fun, and a great way to teach measurement and other areas.  I told Ms. H if she had let me know, I would have brought in my stuffy.



100th Day of School

When I taught back in the Olden Days, we didn't make a big deal of 100 days of school.  We didn't count to that day.  We did count down to Christmas Vacation, Spring Break, and the Last Day of School. Today for some reason, the 100th day is a big deal not just at Kaiser School.  This is a national thing.  Parties are held, books have been written about it, and projects are created.

I was not there on the 100th day.  It was the Friday before my day on Tuesday.  But I have pictures of the art/math projects.  Children brought in things to show how much 100 is.

Popcorn, candy, Cheerios, lots of different items to count

A 100 piece puzzle

Lego art work, macaroni in a bottle and glued down

Cheerios, Goldfish, hair clips, money, stickers, cough drops

Some of the books on 100 days.

The children did a great job using different materials to show 100.  Also they were creative in the displays.  Good job First Graders.

BUNNIES!!

Tuesday my time at Kaiser School was a little different.  There were County muckety mucks there to observe, then they held their meeting in the library.  So no library time for the children.  And we had bunnies to look at.  All in not a bad day.

I thought I would show you some of the homework package that goes home every Tuesday.

 

Front and back of instructions and news from Portable B

 

 

The dreaded word problems

 

 

Phonics and following directions

 

 

And more math

 

I have to say the above is more advanced than most of my first grade classes.  In defense of my students and my teaching, in Kentucky in the 1960's, kindergarten was not offered in public schools.  Children came to school not knowing their colors, how to use scissors, how to hold a pencil, or even the alphabet.  We were teaching preschool, kindergarten, and first grade all in one school year. 

 

 

 

Bunnies as promised.  The father who supplies the duck/chicken eggs for the classes to take care of every spring, brought in bunnies.  They were there for just that day.  Little black and little white bunnies who were adorable. 

 

Another fun day with the first graders.

 

 

Tuesday

Tuesday was busy.  I left home at 8:00 A.M. to work at Kaiser School in Oakland, then drove to Pleasant Hill for a hair appointment, then to Walnut Creek to Kaiser Permanente for a retinal screening.  At this point the plan was I would then drive back to San Leandro, eat supper, drive back to Oakland for Book Group and finally drive back to San Leandro and get home around 10:00 P.M.

After my retinal screening (every thing is fine) I thought, I am crazy.  I am backtracking, burning gas, I have several more hours before I will get home, I am tired.  Marty was at a church meeting in Concord, close to Walnut Creek. He had done his bus/ BART/bus thing.  I met him there, sat through his meeting, let him take me out to supper and do all the driving.  Sometimes you have to listen to your body and just not do all you want to do. 

School was good.  One sweet thing happened and I wasn't even with the first graders.  There is a change of librarians, the past one is gone and the new one hasn't started yet.  Volunteers are running the library until the change over is done.  Ms. H asked me to take the children's checked out book to the library and have them teach me how to scan in/out books in order for the class to get new books.  No volunteer in the library, so I went to the office to see if someone there could help me.

A kindergartener was in the office and heard me say I needed to learn how to check out books.  He became all helpful.  The conversation went something like this.

Him:  My teacher knows how, she will teach you.
Me: But she has to take care of her class.
Him:  She will be glad to show you, she knows all about checking in books.
Me: She can't leave her class to help me.
Him:  Yes she can.  She'll teach you.
Me:  I don't think they want her to leave the class alone and come help me.
Him: You should stay after school and she can show you then.
Me:  She probably needs to go home after school.
Him: Go Home???

Little children do not realize teachers ever leave the building.  It stuns them if they run into their teacher in a store. 

It really is close to Christmas

Tuesday, as usual, I was at Kaiser School with the first graders.  Mostly I was grading papers and making up packets of graded work to go home.  But I also was keeping tabs on who wasn't working up to speed. 

They were doing a cut and paste math sheet that was the 12 Days of Christmas.  There were boxes that had each verse symbol: a partridge in a pear tree with the word first, a turtle dove and the word second, and so on.  They cut them out, put them in order, and glued the boxes to a long sheet of paper.  Before the work could go on the drying rack they had to read the words to an adult.  Then they wrote 3 sentences using the ordinal numbers.  They could all sing the song, and some were upset that I pointed to random boxes and they had to really read.  Mean Ms. Appel.

They later had to fill in blanks of three sentences.  They had to write it exactly as Ms. H had it on the board.  First blanks for  names, second blanks use any number and then a noun. They could put anyone and anything in the blanks.  Spelling counts, handwriting counts, and again it had to be as she had written it.  Really an easy exercise.

On the first day of Break  my friend Betty  gave to me,
3 dolls .

On the second day of Break  my  _______ ______  gave to me,
_______ ________.

On the third day of Break my _______ _______ gave to me,
_______ ________.

One lovely "I will do it my way" child wrote it out about 8 times.  I would erase it, show him the words he left out, explain again how to fill in the blanks, and he would just make up a whole new form. Mostly he left out one of the sentences. This is not a slow child, he reads well and does math well, but refuses to follow directions.  A major part of life is following directions.  He lost recess, and was also going to lose lunch recess.  He is pigheaded and always has to do work over and over.  When he finally accepts we won't allow his  half ass work, he will do the work perfectly.  Ms. H calls him her passive aggressive child.

Now for the it is close to Christmas.  Several things set off a classroom: substitute teachers,  rainy or snowy weather, a change in routine, and holidays.  Christmas and Halloween are the big one to make children go nutso.    The silent children were talking, the talkers were yelling across the room, some were just wandering from table to table chairs fell over and books were dropped.  A normal week before Christmas break. 

Where has the week gone?

I find it hard to believe it is Thursday night.  The week flew by and I did so little.  Monday no Marriage Factory.  Marty had a 7:30 meeting in the opposite direction, so I stayed home.  The curse of only one car.  But Tuesday I made it to Kaiser School and worked with the first graders.

I have mentioned how record breaking cold the Bay Area has been.  One of my medications makes me be cold when everyone else is hot.  But Tuesday the classroom was cold, everyone had on their coats.   No heat over night and the room didn't warm up for a couple of hours.   It wasn't unbearable, but I was uncomfortable.  I was missing my electric throw. 

I mainly was organizing  homework packets and making packets of work from the last couple of weeks.  I also listened to the children read. Then I was called into extra duty.  During recess Ms. H came in and asked me to go to the playground and take the class to the library.  She was taking care of another class while the teacher received some first aid.  So off I went outside to the cold cold playground.  Thankfully I wasn't there long before time to go the library.  Ms. H was back in about 20 minutes.

Back in our classroom I read to the class.  Then they did some creative writing.  Their phonics' sound for the day was ar.  As Ms. H said, "Who knew ar could be so hard."  They had listed lots of ar words such as dark, car, start, star, barn, far.  But they just didn't lock into the sound.  So they had to draw a car, a very special car.  It could go into the future, or go back to the time of the dinosaur's.  Maybe their car could fly, or was silly.  It was their car and they had to write about it using ar words in three sentences.  They really got into their special cars. 

Wednesday made I country ham puffs for a  party this weekend.  These can be made ahead of time and frozen.  So I made extra for Christmas brunch.

Today was another clean out the closet day.  I filled a huge bag with clothes to go to the Salvation Army. I have now lost 52 pounds and most clothes in my closet hangs on me.  This is a good thing, except I am now down to my smallest clothing.  Five more pounds and I will have to buy clothes.  I have found a shop a block from us that has really low prices and cute clothes.   This will be my new favorite spot to shop. 

Marty just told me we are invited to a cocktail party Friday afternoon.  I am going even though I won't be drinking.  Marty says he will be taking me to dinner afterwards.  YAY, no cooking!

Tidbits

First, I did not go to Kaiser School this week.  I was up and dressed and had time to check email before leaving.  Ms. H had sent an email saying she hoped I read it before coming to school.  They had a field trip and she had forgotten to tell me.  Good thing I am addicted to email. It would have been bad to drive for 45 minutes and no First Graders at school.

What to do, I am dressed in full make up and nowhere to go.  Luckily two friends are spontaneous.  We went to breakfast. 

This week has been so cold.  Wednesday night it went down to 26 degrees.  That is cold anywhere.  But in the San Francisco Bay Area, that is record breaking.  Tonight they are talking snow in the Berkeley Hills.  Yuck!  Hopefully where we live will only get rain.

I have lost 46 pounds since the great hospital drama of September.  I have gone from a 18-20 women's to a 14 petite.  I still have more pounds to lose.  I will keep you posted.

Tomorrow we go to our first Holiday Party.  I am excited to be able to fit into my pretty clothes for the party.  I also an excited about the food that will be there.  Ben and Dan are really good cooks.  Last week the doctor told me I could taste "bad food" and one meal of the wrong food won't kill me.  I even get to have a glass of wine.  Marty is loving I can't drink much.  He gets to drink and I get to drive home.

Is it school or is it traffic reports?

It seems as if lately here and on Facebook I am reporting on traffic more and more.  Tuesday I made good time  to Kaiser School.  For the first time in years and years HWY 13 was not backed up getting onto HWY 24. That was because the new bore for the Caldecott Tunnel was finally open, two tunnels both ways.  Great joy!  Then I arrived at school. 

I drive around the circle and turn in the staff lot driveway where the handicap parking is.  A parent has pulled in blocking the spot and is letting her child out.  A huge no no.  She should be in the drop off lane in the circle.  The child gets out, hits the car with his lunch box and his food spills out.  He picks it up, then drops his backpack. Finally he has everything and walks down the no child zone and gets on the walkway. 

And dumb sh*t Mama, she starts backing up.  I am going to let her hit me rather than me backing out of the way where there are other cars and children in a crosswalk.  She sees me before she hits and pulls up and tries to turn around.  Why isn't she driving to the staff lot and turning around?  I squeeze into the handicap spot and am out of her way.  She realizes there isn't room to turn around, so she backs out the driveway where children and parents are crossing.  Can you say idiot?

I talked to the school secretary about this.  She said it was perfect timing.  That morning Oakland police were coming to look at safety issues on campus.  She added backing out of the driveway to the list. 

No Ms. H

Tuesday, yes I am a little slow getting to this, Ms. H was out for a meeting.  So we had a sub.  I really didn't want to get up early Tuesday, but I had promised to show up.  Ms. H had asked me to check all the homework packets and to help out the sub.  So I went.

I hadn't met this sub before and she was new to Ms. H.  I watched her closely (to report back to Ms. H).  The sub was pretty good.  She gave clear instructions, had control of the class, and kept them busy. 

The class had library for the first time on Tuesday.  I stayed in the library to help control the kids, and to help them find books.  The sub did do something that tickled me  just a little.  While the librarian was explaining how to use the library, the sub took the only chair  (in that part of the library) and sat down.  The twenty something sat and the 70 year old stood. 

Here's what's going on

Here it is Wednesday and I feel as if the weekend should be here.  This has been a week of feeling puny.  That is the word I use when I'm not sick, don't feel well, just don't feel right.  I don't feel puny every day, just sometimes.  Sunday sort of puny.  Sunday night was just bad and with little sleep. 

When the alarm went off Monday I started to the shower.  Half way there I knew I needed more rest.  Listen to your body they preached in the hospital.  After calling the Marriage Factory to say sorry, back to bed I went.  I spent the day feeling off.  Not scary, just not normal. 

Tuesday the alarm went off, I felt normal.  Off to school I went.  Lots of walking around the classroom to check work, be sure work being done, and to hear each child read to me.  The walking is good for me, and I count it as part of my daily exercise.  I enjoyed my 3 hours working with the first graders, received some hugs and came home.  I did feel  tired when I got home.  I ate lunch, read some and then I took a long nap. 

Funny thing, I forgot to turn my iPhone's ringer back on after leaving the classroom.  I woke up from the long nap at 4:18. I was going to check Facebook on my phone when I saw I had received a text from Marty.  It said he would arrive at the BART station at 4:29.  Lucky I woke up when I did.  Otherwise he would have arrived, called me and it wouldn't have rung, and I wouldn't have answered.  That would have either ticked him off or scared the liver out of him.  Luckily we are less than 5 minutes from the station, so I was on time. 

Some days are good, some a little harder.  But even puny days are better than a good day a month or so ago.  This eating healthy stuff seems to be working.  I have lost 31 pounds.  Only a ton to go.  Friends say I sound like their ole Janet.  So it is all good. 

Lots of driving on Tuesday

Tuesday was the first day the BART strike was over.  Getting to school should have been no problem.  People are back on the trains and off the highway.  Well, it did not go well.  Nearly every highway in The Bay Area had major wrecks.  Big rigs, motorcycles, cars, vans, you name it, it had crashed.  We are talking total gridlock. 

When we got to the ramp for 580 we could see traffic was stopped.  So we went to plan B, street roads.  Now usually our trip to Kaiser School is around 35 minutes.  On a bad day it takes 45 minutes. On the bad traffic days I am there by 8:45. We had built in extra time in case of slow traffic.  This is a trip of 12 miles.  Tuesday it took one hour and five minutes to get to school.  By the time I signed in, hit the restroom, and walked out to the Portable, it was 9:30.   Ms. H was glad to see me.  Another volunteer was out sick, and one called and said she just couldn't get there. 

Ms. H gave me several books to pick to read to the class. Some were fiction and some were science and social studies books.  I picked two books and had the class vote on which book they wanted to hear.  I explained they were not fiction.  I held up the books, one was about the life of bats and the other was about Mummies.  I told them to stand up if they wanted the bat book.  Not a child stood up.  The whole class wanted to hear Mummies by Joyce Milton and illustrated by Susan Swan. 

Mummies is pretty educational on a first grade level.  The book has photographs and illustrations.  It tells how the organs are removed and preserved separately from the body.  Lots of ewww when I read that.  It explains why pyramids were built. And it gives information about the funerals of the Kings.  Years ago I was a docent in a museum and gave tours on mummies (bats too).  I knew extra material I added to the discussion of the book.  Over all the class listened and liked the book.

Tuesday was one long day for me.  We left for school at 8:00, Marty picked me up at school, I dropped Marty back at work, then went to have my hair cut, picked up Marty, and then home.  I grabbed a bite to eat and then drove back to the neighborhood the school is in for my book group.  I got home around 9:30 P.M.  All these little trips added up to about 100 miles of driving.  I was tired and slept really well Tuesday night.

Pumpkins, Math, Phonics, it must be Tuesday

It was Tuesday and another day at Kaiser School with the First Graders.  There were a lot of parents volunteering.  Some repeats from last week, and some new parents.  We had one adult for each work  station which was nice.

I was working with the group writing about their music class.  They had each pasted a picture on the paper and had to write three descriptive sentences.  Of course they wrote It was fun,  I liked it, or It was loud .  I asked the group what is It?  They thought I was clueless, "We are writing about  music class, you know that Ms. Appel."  Nope, can't tell that from the sentences.  And then I asked why "it" was fun.  Finally the light bulbs when on and some nice sentences were written.  I like music class because it is loud.  We had drums and we got to clap. I love loud clapping.   Now I know what it is and why they had fun.

While they were at recess I took some pictures of the classroom.

Some of you may recognize this, a blood pressure machine, mine.  While they are out of the room I check my BP and then take my meds.

 

I am sure when I was in First Grade I had no idea what alliterative meant.  Impressive teaching, she teaches up, not down.

 

                                  Heavy thought for a First Grader  Fair is not always equal. 

Phonics' books, decodable reading books, journals are on the desks.  Lots of learning going on.

After recess I read a book to them.  I do love to read to children.  Ms. H gave me 4 books and let me pick the one I wanted to read.  They all were Halloween/pumpkin related.  I picked the silliest one.

The Vanishing Pumpkin written by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Tomie dePaola.  Lots of repetition and silly magic.  The class loved it.

Again as I left sweet children gave me hugs and kisses.  It was a lovely morning.

Math Tests, Globes and a Story from last week

Tuesday at Kaiser School we were testing the progress of the first graders in math.  Testing this age group is always a challenge.  They circle answers where they should bubble in a circle.  They work ahead, even though they have no idea what the directions say.  They are on the wrong problem.  They share what they have answered with their neighbors and they lean over and check what their neighbors have marked.  So Ms. H administers the test, and I walk constantly around the tables making sure things are going smoothly.  Of course they don’t.

This is the set up for taking the test.  A little private area for each child.   A little snack is waiting for them when they come in from recess.


A different viewpoint.
I had promised to show you the globes when they were finished.




Here is a close up of a globe ready to be hung up.
Last week I read the book and Tango makes Three.  This book has caused a lot of controversy over the years.  It is a true story dealing with a same sex animal couple.  When we read this book the issue of homosexuality is not really discussed.  We talk about how a family can be two moms or dads, one mom, a grandparent, one dad.  We stress that families are all different and no one kind of family is better.  Usually that is all that we discuss. 
This class is more aware of same sex parents.  They discussed that.  Then they wanted to know if animals can be gay too. I said I wasn’t sure if the word gay was correct for animals.  But yes animals sometimes just want to be with their own sex. I told them again that the book is about real penguins and how they made a family.  So I was asked if horses could be gay.  I guess so.  What about elephants, bears, pigs? I guess so.   I told them it was possible, but I did not know of any other animals. I was hoping I was answering their questions without giving information they don’t need.  Keep it simple and just answer what they ask is the rule with small children.  One little boy is frantic to be called on, arm waving, bouncing off the floor.  Oh glory, what will he be ask me?  “Ms. Appel, how do giraffes sleep?”

One meltdown, total bedlam, and mean adults

Yes, I was back at Kaiser School, and the children were nutso.  I mean that in a loving way.  As I was told by one of the teachers, "If they weren't so cute we could never forgive them anything." I said that if they weren't so cute I would kill them.  Tuesday it was hard to forgive anything.

One of the little girls doesn't think rules apply to her.  She does not listen to directions, she talks out, and she is the one who played me a few weeks back.  The children were doing a worksheet for reading comprehension.  They were to read the story, read the questions, and write answers in complete sentences.  She had no answers in a complete sentence.  (The class had done the first question together.)  The first question was Who was our first president?  Her answer was George.  She threw a dramatic crying temper tantrum when I erased every answer and said do it over.  Daddy is one of our good volunteers and she was playing to him.  He wisely watched from a distance.  She got up to go to him and I made her sit down.  Great drama was performed over not listening to or reading the directions.  Then Ms. H got on her case too.  The sad thing, she could have done the page easily, just didn't.

Ms. H was later called out of the class room.  A special reading teacher, Ms. S, and I were left in charge.  All the children had work to do and were told no talking, no one get up, finish the workbook pages.  Ms. H was not out of sight and they all went nuts on us.  Under desks, talking across the room.  I told them to sit down and be quiet or they would stay in at recess,  It continued.  Ms.S  told them to quiet down.  A half minute of calm and then again with the noise and being out of their chairs.  The third time I told they had now lost part of their recess.  Ms. H returned and blew a gasket.

It was recess time, Ms. H had yard duty, and left.  The whole class had to put their heads down and stay in 3 minutes, an eternity to a first grader.  I set my timer and said I would put push start when every head was down.  Anytime a head came up after start, I would add a minute.  There was a lesson to be taught here, cause and effect.  It took about 2 minutes before I could hit start, and then heads came up and chairs were rocking, I added time.  When I finally let them out for recess they had missed over half of it. 

The lesson really wasn't learned.  The noise and breaking of rules continued. Who knows why the children were acting out.  We are getting close to the end of school.  That is when the children turn on you.

Ms. Appel thinks she is preshcious

My title is what one of the Kaiser first grade boys wrote about me this week.  You all understand I am a poor speller but that is his spelling not mine.

For workshop the whole class was doing picture writing.  They chose a picture taken at an event, glued it to the paper, and then wrote about the specific picture or the event in general.  This time they were doing a follow up on a visit from Ranger James. This took place in January 30, so some details were a little fuzzy for all of us.  I got my phone and pulled up my blog post to help. Was it a gecko, a salamander, or a newt Ms. H held?  It was a live newt.

We all remembered the Ranger blindfolded Ms. H and had her identify objects by touch and asking yes and no questions.  I told the children I would have thrown the live newt and run screaming from the room.  They all thought that was funny.

I was walking around helping where needed and saw my picture on one of the papers.  N had written:  Ms. Appel would have thrown the newt.  She would have run away screaming.  Ms. Appel thinks she is preshcious.  I asked him what that meant and he said, "You said you're precious."  I have no idea what I said to have him come up with precious.  It is his story so I left and moved on to the next child.

posted by  Precious Ms. Appel

Making Paper Airplanes

Tuesday at Kaiser School our First Graders worked on a science project, paper airplanes. They would make a plane, then we would go up to the upper yard and compete for distance. Well that was the plan.  The best laid plans of mice and men . . .

Ms. H used the overhead projector to show the children how to fold the paper to make an airplane. She did each fold. The other volunteer and I walked around checking the folds were crisp and in the right place.  From the first fold we had problems.

This shows some of the directions for the folding.  Ms. H had practiced, but it was not working.  The directions just were not working.  The points on the end of the planes vanished, lumps appeared in their place.  The creases of the folds never happened unless the adults made them.  I don't who was more frustrated, the children or the adults.  Ms. H called a halt to the making of planes.  The game plan changed.

Just on this one table you can see four different types of planes.  Yet from the same directions.

Ms. H made two planes, one larger than the other.  She would throw each plane 5 times, I would measure how far it went, and a student would record the distance.  She is holding two planes and the tape measure.  Before we came outside each student wrote a hypothesis on which plane would fly the furthest.

The larger plane is about to take off.  It was windy and there was a cross wind sometimes.  Some flights went 40 feet, others went straight up and straight down.

After averaging out the 5 flights of each plane, the smaller plane went the furthest.  The students decided the light plane has less drag.  Today they were going to make their own planes and compete for distance.

Science can be fun.