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Moffat's Travels

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"Is this the social studies room?"

8/28/2017

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Earlier this week, we had a guest custodian in the building covering for our regular night technician.  As he entered my room and introduced himself, he began to look around  soaking in the decor of the room. Gazing about, he then asked if this was the social studies room. I proudly said to him that it was actually first grade!  His response to me was "It's good to get them thinking early."  

I couldn't agree more!  Social studies is the key.  I can't imagine a day going by in my classroom without a conversation entering into geography and history.  

Space it a big thing to me.  It makes me happy to have my room filled with images that might spark a child's inquisitive nature. Why not fill their heads with stories of leaders, inventors, musicians, artists and those that opened doors for others to follow.  There are too many to count, but I plan on doing my fair share of door opening to the many stories we are all connected with!
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TR, Teaching Soulmates and a couple of postcards...

8/15/2017

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I have had the incredible fortune to teach with some amazing, strong and innovative teachers in my career.  Several who have been mentors, cheerleaders and dear friends through thick and thin.  I am lucky!

However, I also have teaching soulmates, as you can see by the pic above, sent to me today on a teacher work day by my dear friend Jessica.  She and I can spend hours dreaming and planning lessons for our students around history.  We never get tired of it!  We love to think outside the box.  We also LOVE Teddy Roosevelt!  I don't know if we will ever be fortunate enough to teach in the same school, but the moments we can spend together dreaming of history lessons are grand!

The images to the right are from one of my former students and my other teaching soulmate, Lisa.  We met through a mutual friend and think SO much alike.  We are separated by thousands of miles from Colorado to Virginia.  Still, we love sharing our passion for teaching history and challenging our students.  Oddly, she teaches college freshmen and I teach first grade.  Last week she sent me a couple of vintage postcards of TR.  The one to the right is most unique and is going to require some more research (more to come on that).

Today, I received the more modern postcard from one of my students last year. Arianna's mom had text me last week inquiring for our address as Arianna wanted to write.  Her postcard made smile.  My kids learn a lot about TR in my class (they know he is my favorite).  I love that Arianna has background knowledge on TR and wants to share her new knowledge with me!  It only reaffirms for me that we need to start sharing history with students at a young age!

On a different note, I need to work on my winking skills!!
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Special Delivery

8/6/2017

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Today, my husband and I returned from running errands to find this little gem in our mailbox (yes, my kids know where I live).  Such a fun surprise from one of my first grade students from this last year.  Silas has been very busy!

Earlier in the day, I had been speaking with a retired superintendent from Kansas about writing.  His comment was that kids need to be writing all the time.  I explained to him, that in my classroom and with my cross-curricular approach, we write a lot.  By the time my students leave first grade, they have written a USA atlas on all fifty states, as well as a book on United States history.

I use Moffat as my vehicle for my state studies, with the students referencing powerpoints that I have created with my travel photographs as a reference.  The stories they come up with are rather magical.  The only hitch is that they must include appropriate references from that state.  

With that being said, all of my students went to Build-A-Bear in May after they saved their money as part of our personal financial literacy unit.  The students all made their own Moffats and named them.  Silas named his Cletus.

Take a moment to look at the fun story that I received today in my mailbox.  Thanks Silas for the terrific surprise!  It's great work!
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Happy Colorado Day!!

8/1/2017

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August 1st is Colorado Day!  As the unscheduled days of summer come to a close, my husband and I enjoyed a peaceful, early morning walk through one of our new, favorite outdoor spaces, Red Rock Canyon.  Our goal was to retrace our last hike so that I could photograph Moffat in the quarry for a new Colorado Springs alphabet book.  The trails in Red Rock Canyon are substantial and on a weekday morning, fairly empty.  We strayed from our intended path and enjoyed new scenery along the way.  Next time we want to look at the well-know "Section 16" that I have heard so much about.

I am pondering starting a new Colorado Springs alphabet book.  We have truly enjoyed our summer in the city (I was even home for the entire month of July) and have new ideas buzzing through my head.  Additionally, I have been inspired by the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum's new exhibit Story of Us done in an alphabetical format.  Q is notoriously a tricky letter, so the quarry section of Red Rock Canyon was perfect.

Can't think of a better way to enjoy the start of Colorado Day.  Now I need to do some more research and planning!!
Red Rock Canyon Open Space
CSPM Story of Us
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The tale of a rabbit...hanging out with Brooklyn

7/23/2017

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So Moffat has a crazy cousin named Elliott that randomly shows up on trips with some of my students.  He did it again and is keeping Brooklyn and her family company on their trip to Oregon.  Brooklyn is taking the photography rather seriously and her mom is sending me daily photos of Brooklyn's photography efforts.

I am thrilled with the photos she is sending.  I use these photos to create slideshows and videos for the kids to use in class for research.  I have photos from all 50 states, but am always happy for more!  Go Brooklyn!  Thanks for taking such good care of those rabbits!!!

I am inspired by the photos at Fort Clatsop and can't wait to add them to my Thomas Jefferson  and Lewis and Clark collection of pictures!
NPS Fort Clatsop
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A Lesson in Labels: "Hey honey, where did these rocks come from?"

7/22/2017

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We are on a cleaning kick at our house, one of those great things to do in the summer when there is extra time.  For me, the never ending battle is managing the ephemera, photos, class work and paper samples.  My husband has to work to manage his workshop with building materials.

As I was going through a box, I came across this collection of rocks and put them out on top of the washing machine.  My husband came in and asked, "Honey, where did these rocks come from?"

At this point and time, that is a great question.  I have gathered them here and there on our family travels.  Unfortunately, I have not labeled or marked them in any way.

Note to self: Label any unidentifiable objects when they first come home!
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The Mountain

7/19/2017

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If you come to Colorado Springs, there is one thing you cannot miss...the mountain, Pikes Peak to be exact.  It looms over the city as a splendid backdrop.  As a native, I am appreciative of this magnificent backdrop on a daily basis. As a tourist, you might choose several ways to enjoy this majestic mountain that Katharine Lee Bates was so inspired by, she wrote "America The Beautiful".  You might go to the top via the Cog Railway or drive to the top or you might tackle the Manitou Incline.  Oddly, this summer, we have done two.

I do not consider myself to be an athletic person in the least.       I am in reasonable shape, free of health issues.  My husband wanted to tackle the Manitou Incline as a health challenge.  In my mind, it sounds like a great thing.  After all, I am a native to the city and it seems like something I should do. On a physical level, it was brutal and there was a point and time that I was cursing my husband's idea.

We made it!  It took us just under two hours to complete the climb which has a distance of .8 miles. Not much, right?  Well in that .8 miles, you gain elevation of 2,000 and climb almost 3,000 steps.  Along the way, you chat with people as most of them are huffing and puffing and gasping for air just like you.  Can't imagine the people that come from sea level!  You get to hear some of their stories.

There was a woman who had had a complete knee replacement.  A man who had had open heart surgery. A couple from Austin, Texas. A man who had memories of it as a teenager. There was also a seven-year-old boy that had the energy and agility to have done the climb twice as he was circling around us proclaiming how fun the incline was. I did not hear that from any of the adults.

In the end, I am very proud that we made it to the top and that we did it together.  I don't need to do it again.  When my husband first posted pictures, I had not sent him any with Moffat and a parent inquired as to where he was.  He of course went.  That's part of my story.
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Moffat at the top of the Manitou Incline
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That book is Moffat approved!

7/17/2017

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My kids are very funny...they like to say that my books are "Moffat approved".

In actuality, it is my simple way to keep track of which books are mine from my home library.  Moffat's little stickers help me keep track and also remind others when they borrow a book, who it belongs to.

This afternoon (as I am trying to escape the afternoon heat!), I am working on labeling the GIANT pile of new kids' picture books from my students last year.  My little "Moffat approved" labels came in the mail and I am very busy.  I was quite thrilled at the end of the year, when one of the parents had taken it upon herself to collect money and purchase books off my bottomless Amazon wish list.  My book collection is one of my favorite things and it is always growing.  My father recently inquired if I have all of them catalogued and the answer is no.  I keep waiting for him to come over and use his excellent organization skills to help me out!

Mostly, this collection brings me huge joy because of the doors it opens for my students.  I love the new worlds, people, events and places that these books bring.  After all, it's all about the story!
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July mornings by the pond...

7/5/2017

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My morning reading buddy, Henry.
Summer is here!  Yes, I know it is now July 5th, but I taught all of June and am now feeling like I can accomplish some things on my own time.  One of my to-dos is to read everyday.  I know for many, this is not a thing that one must think of, but for me, I have to be very intentional about it.  My creative side prefers to write, create, and do rather than read.

So what's on my list?  Well, you might be surprised.

I have two libraries at our house, filled with children's geography and history books.  I am always looking for new mentor texts and people of interest to share with my students.  With this being said, I have checked out our school's entire collection of Cobblestone magazines for the reading project.  I am also enjoying the collection of books that my students this past year. I have several lengthier books that I am covering in post it notes to take back for teaching resources.  

One of my goals is to continue to find those strong stories to take back to my kids.  As part of our leadership team at school, we are working on character development.  I want to have a strong collection of heroes that I can weave into our school lessons.

I am also enjoying the graphic design and inspiration in so many books.  These books and the Cobblestone magazines are going to serve as exiting mentor texts for the students to show their thinking in new and creative ways.  

Stay tuned as I begin sharing some of my favorites to take back to the classroom in the fall.
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Birthday Cake for Moffat! #Blog365

5/14/2017

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 For years, my students have been asking me when Moffat's birthday is.  As a five or six-year-old, birthdays are a really big thing.  I have thought about it for a long time, not knowing what to tell my kids.  

The answer came to me very recently while I was organizing pictures.  I realized that it was ten years ago this Mother's Day weekend that Moffat took his first family trip to San Francisco. My, then, 9-year-old daughter, carried Moffat around for the entire trip in a backpack.

I have very fond memories of that Mother's Day, enjoying a nice, long walk along the beach of the Pacific Ocean.  We enjoyed a relaxing lunch at the Park and Beach Chalet, at the very west end of Golden Gate Park.  This trip marked the beginning of many trips that my family would take with Moffat in tow.  One reason I enjoyed having Moffat along, was that it gave me the opportunity to photograph the many spectacular settings on our travels without my kids making faces and not wanting mom to take pictures.  It also gave me the opportunity to take my travels back to my classroom to share with my students.

I would never have guessed at that time, that Moffat would be alive, and VERY well, ten years later. I am proud of the work that I have done in using him as a teaching tool.  To this day, there are over 10,000 pictures of Moffat across the country and a couple hundred students have adopted Moffat at home as part of our extended learning.

Outside of the classroom, it has been a joy to see Moffat being adopted by the next generation of young learners.  This weekend, Moffat enjoyed some birthday festivities with some of his younger fans.  Life is good when there is homemade birthday cake and sand castle cake to be had.  Moffat traveled safely in carseats as he went to the beach and then was later tucked into bed after a long weekend.  All the while, he was loved and well cared for.  My favorite picture is that of my own daughter, now grown, sharing Moffat with the next generation.

I dream of what Moffat might do in the next ten years.  He is something and he is part of the family.  Happy 10th birthday Moffat!!
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Happy

10th

Birthday

​Moffat!!!
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  • About
  • Honors and Continued Work
  • Moffat's Blog
  • My Support People
  • Geography in the Classroom
  • History In The Classroom
  • #Blog365