The Final Field Trip

We had SO much fun at the Crayola Factory today! When I asked my kiddos on the way home what their favorite part was, they all shouted, "EVERYTHING!!" Well, that made me happy to know that they had such a good time. :-)

The first thing we did when we got there was watch a demonstration on how they make crayons and markers....

(Waiting for the show to begin)

After the show was over, my kiddos did a few miscellaneous art activities.

Sponge painting and decorating a hat...

The finished products!!!

A favorite is always playing with the Model Magic at the Crayola Factory (similar to play dough, but a unique texture).

My class and I posing with Mr. Happy Crayon!

When tummies started rumbling, we took a quick break from exploring to eat at McDonald's for lunch. They all enjoyed their Happy Meals!

After lunch, we went to the next part of the tour which was the National Canal Museum. I definitely think a highlight of their day was being able to guide their very own boat down the canal!

It was a fun & wet process!!

I am so glad that this field trip was a success today! It was a great way to end a great school year with my kiddos!!!

Last Papers!

My kiddos completed their last papers today! It was an exciting moment for them - a bittersweet moment for their teacher :-)

The Great Field Trip Revelation

My kiddos have been SO anxious to find out what our *SECRET* end-of-the-school year field trip is going to be! I promised them I would tell them when our countdown chart was at the number 16. However, they tried every which way to get me to tell them just a "little" clue before that time!

They quickly resorted to bribery...

* "Miss Follett, I will give you $3 if you tell me what the field trip is!"

* "Miss Follett, if we are REALLY good today, will you tell us what it is?"

* Random hugs started coming my way more and more...

* A note on the board which said, "Tell us the secret" (Although I was impressed they could write that, I wasn't going to let it sway me!)

* A pretty picture complete with hearts and "I Love You!" on the board. (I was touched...but unmoved :P)

Today was finally going to be the day of the Great Field Trip Revelation. They went home on Monday super excited!! They couldn't wait for it to be school again so they could FINALLY find out what is was going to be. Apparently, it had been TORTURE not knowing. (Such a dramatic bunch of kiddos I have!)

When they walked in the classroom this morning, this is what they saw on the board....

Before I told them what it was, I resorted to some bribery of my own. Hey, they did it to me, so it was my turn! I wanted to get a few more pictures of them in their graduation cap and gowns, and I knew this was my moment.

"The sooner you smile for Miss Follett's pictures, the sooner you will find out what the secret field trip is going to be!"

It worked like a charm! Bribery definitely comes in handy sometimes! (Although I prefer the term "Motivation"...sounds more professional!)

So they began guessing the letters for our field trip, and the BIG secret was soon revealed....

They were quite excited when they discovered we are going to the Crayola Factory!

Letting Go...

While at the park today, we let our butterflies go. Over the weekend they had all emerged from their chrysalises. We fed them sugar water on carnations for a couple of days, and enjoyed watching them flutter about, but we knew that we would have to let them go eventually. My kiddos thought it would be fun to let them go at the park today. So that's what we did!

A couple of them seemed pretty content to remain on the carnations, so I took the opportunity to snap a few pictures! Could this really have been that creepy, crawly caterpillar just a few weeks ago??? Amazing, isn't it?!

I am just in awe of God's amazing creature, the butterfly! This was my 3rd time enjoying the experience of watching caterpillars turn into butterflies, and it never grows old! Just like it never grows old watching a child start with just knowing the letter sounds, and then eventually being able to read stories! It is a wonderful process to watch, and I am so thankful the Lord has given me the opportunity to experience it for 3 years so far.

This saying is so true...

My Kindergarten class started off as tiny little caterpillars. I have watched them go through many stages of learning, and now, finally, I have enjoyed watching them transform into beautiful butterflies! But now, just like we let our butterflies go this morning, I am going to have to let my Kindergarten class go in just a few weeks. It's a bittersweet feeling. I am thrilled with how much they have learned, and I know they will exceed in first grade, but I am going to miss them. I am going to miss them bounding into the classroom each morning, all smiles, excited to start a new day of learning. I am going to miss their conversations, and seeing what their active imaginations will think up next. I am going to miss seeing their little faces light up when I put an A+ on their paper. Oh, it's not like I will never see them again (quite the contrary in fact!), but it will never be the same as our special time in Kindergarten together. I am so thankful for the memories we have created together this year. They shall be cherished forever!

According to our classroom countdown this morning, in just 22 more days, I will be letting go of my "butterflies"....

Picnic at the Park

Today was a GORGEOUS spring day! It was the PERFECT day for a picnic at the park! I gave my kiddos the choice of where they wanted to eat, and this is where they chose to set up...

Hey, at least it was a shady spot! :-)

The sisters hanging out while the kiddos entertained themselves at the playground...

{~Goofy Girlies~}

{Just Hanging...}

Even Miss Follett was having fun at the playground!
{this was about as far as I got though..haha!}

Going on a nature hike in the woods...

{Excited to pose on the BIG boulder in the woods}

{Miss Follett with her girlies}

We finished up our fun picnic adventure by having ice cream sandwiches at Miss Follett's house. We definitely enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors today!

And the Countdown Begins...

It's May. It's the last month of school. I needed a visual motivator. My kiddos needed a visual motivator.

The perfect solution struck me today! My kiddos love picking dandelions, so why not have a dandelion field countdown to the end of school??!! It just so happened that this flower poster board that I made years ago had 32 flowers on it, which is exactly how many days it is till graduation. How cool is that?!

Every day my kiddos will get to pull 1 or 2 flowers off the chart (depending on how many days it has been since the last day of Kindergarten!). To give them some smaller goals, I also added our last 2 field trips to the countdown as well.

When there are 22 flowers left on the board, it will be time for our picnic at the park field trip. When there are only 8 flowers left on the board, it will be time for our special *SECRET" field trip.

And when there are 0 flowers...*gulp* graduation will be upon us!

*Breathe, just breathe*

Countdowns are great! :-)