EDCAMP/ BREAKOUT EDU/ FLEXIBLE SEATING/ DONOR'S CHOOSE PROJECT/ STUDENT LETTERS/ COLLEGE!!!!

Hello!  As I typed in the title for this post, I realized there is A LOT to tell you all.  So BE PREPARED!!!! :)  :)

EDCAMP!

First of all, this weekend, I went to a SUPER FUN event called EDCAMP!  It is was AMAZING!  I learned so much!  Shout out to my amazing coworker Lauren Mertz for helping get Lincoln peeps stoked for this event.  (She also helped me to get started on my blogging journey, so double points for her!!!) For those of you who do not know what an edcamp is... let. me. tell. you.  It is an "unconference".  It is a unconference where you and fellow educators meet up, you think of hot topics in education or topics that interest you, then we write them down, sessions are created, and voila! Magic!  My 3 sessions looked like this:

1. Dealing with behaviors/ social - emotional issues/ trauma.

2. Flexible seating in the classroom

3. Reading engagement/ matching kids to just-right texts

I signed up for the ones that interested me the most, I met new educators and bounced ideas off of them, and it was fantastic!  Not to mention, I won one of THESE!!!!!

"What is this???" you might ask.  Well... LET ME TELL YOU!  It is a breakout box!  This box (and all of it's contents) will be so fun to implement in my classroom!  Basically, a breakout box can be whatever the teacher wants it to be.  It has a bunch of locks and tools for the kids to use in order to "break the code" to find out what's inside (sometimes a prize, sometimes another code, a surprise, etc).  

It encourages students to use teamwork, logic, problem solving skills, and much more (however you choose to implement the code-solving process).  It is a genius idea!  I cannot believe I won this gem!  This is a $100.00 prize, and I WON!  WOOT WOOT!  Anyway, stay tuned to see how I plan to use it in the classroom and how the kids do!  It should be so fun!  For more information on Breakout EDU, go to their website  http://www.breakoutedu.com/how-it-works/.   For more information on our edcamp, just search #edcampscsd on twitter to see all the trends from that day!

FLEXIBLE SEATING!

My next area of business to share with you is my FLEXIBLE SEATING idea for the classroom!  This was all inspired by my session at Edcamp on flexible seating!!  

Here we are... Talking about flexible seating!!!

Flexible seating is all about giving your students a choice where they sit & providing them with alternative seating options that aren't those boring metal chairs!  I don't know about you, but I've always been a little bit of a flexible-seater at heart.  I expect my students to be in their carpet spots when I present a lesson or directions, but when they are on their own doing independent work, I really have never cared where they sit or how they do it, as long. as they DO IT! :)  Recently, I've been seeing blog posts, Instagram pics, tweets, and pins portraying teachers' conversations about flexible seating.  I've been intrigued!!  Then, we had our lovely edcamp convo. on Saturday.... DOING. IT.!    Here's some pics from other blogs to show what I have in mind.

Floor seating options
 Kindergarten is Great

Stability Balls
Lucky Little Learners

Options for students to stand.
Literacy Loves Company

I came home from Edcamp and immediately started researching my options (and if we're honest, I started playing with my breakout EDU box too!!)  Do I want higher tables? lower tables?  Stability balls?  Stability disks?  More pillows? Floor options?  There are so many ideas and options!  I also have to think about "Do I have the means to do this?"  I'm not sure!  But I'm sure going to try!  So last night I decided to write a donors choose project to help fund my idea of flexible seating in my classroom.  I decided a whole class-set of something wasn't really what I wanted because I wanted options.  So I chose to start with about 5 or 6 of each option to get started.  So here's the link to my donor's choose project!  I am hoping I can get this project funded!  It would be SO AMAZING!!!

Flexible Seating Choices for Antsy & Fidgety First Graders!

 AND  if you donate by June 13 with the code EMPOWER, your donation will be doubled!  Please share and spread the word!  I would love to get this started for the beginning next school year!  

MORE STUDENT LETTERS!

Look what else happened this weekend?  I got another letter!  This one is from Carolina. This is so cute because she wrote to me while she was on her vacation to Disney World (jealous!)!

Do you think she wants me to send her another pen? lol

Highlights from all 5 days in Disney world - She's a WRITER!! <3

COLLEGE!

My last area of business to share with you is that I'm going back to school!  I will start in the fall.  I will get my masters in Reading/Literacy specialization.  I am very nervous to start, but I know it will be worth it in the end!  

I've been accepted!  EEEK!

That's all for now!  Don't forget to share my Donor's Choose project!  Please and Thank you! 
Flexible Seating Choices for Antsy & Fidgety First Graders!

Thanks for reading!

~Mrs. Trauterman