Spinach smoothies

I will be the first to say that "spinach smoothie" does NOT sound appetizing at all! However as you get a bit older, go through the Ramon noodle stages of college, you begin to realize that sometimes how something sounds or looks doesn't reflect at all how it taste!

This recipe is that prime example. I became a smoothie junkie when I had a 45 minute commute to work every morning when I was teaching in Texas. My love for a big bowl of cereal quickly dwindled as I learned that I appreciated those few more minutes of sleep and therefore eating breakfast in the car was inevitable. 

I began by finding a quick and easy recipe that included just three ingredients: apple juice, frozen strawberries, and ice. Although I still love that recipe, I was looking for a bit more variety and a way to get a few more vitamins, minerals, and fiber in my diet. I came across a spinach smoothie that included apple vinegar, honey, tea, and Greek yogurt. I'll be honest, I didn't even try that recipe because three of those ingredients sounded terrible to me... so I improvised (that's what good teachers do, right?!)

 I added spinach to my current smoothie, added a mixture of fruit, and every once in awhile I switch out apple juice for an alternative flavor (apple raspberry). 

It's delicious!! You can't even taste the spinach (and you get over the slight green color) and the fruit variety makes every smoothie just a bit different!

Now I know what some of you may be thinking, apple juice has high sugar and therefore this may not be a healthy choice. I usually choose sugar free; after all, the juice is just the concentrate to make the smoothie drinkable. Either way, feel free to do what you want with this recipe, use it, change it, or pass it along!

Here's what you need:

1 cup of frozen fruit (fresh or bagged)

1/4 cup of apple juice (I use sugar free)

1/2 cup of spinach

Handful of ice

Mix it all in a blender until smooth. You can freeze it for later or drink it right away!

Enjoy!

Diaper Cakes

In November I became an aunt for the first time! And let me tell you that little boy has me wrapped around his little chubby fingers!

For my sister's baby shower, I wanted to attempt a diaper cake! I had seen so many cute variations of diaper cakes on Pinterest so I simply looked for the one that looked the easiest to assemble. This is how it turned out.

I think it turned out pretty well! And it was SO easy! And it only took me about 40 minutes

What you will need:

about 70 diapers

about 75 rubber bands

a flat pan or cake holder

ribbon

hot glue gun

any other decorations you wish to add to your cake

wooden dole or paper towel roll (Some even use a wooden spoon)

Assembly:

1. roll every diaper like a burrito and fasten it with a rubber band

2. Begin in the middle, stand about 3 rolled diapers up around the wooden dole and rubber band them together.

3. Repeat step 2 going out until you have your first layer assembled

4. Repeat steps 2-3 for a second, third, or fourth layer placing them around the wooden dole

5. Glue ribbon around each layer for added support

6. Finish off by decorating your cake with whatever decorations you like!

If you would like pictures to follow the instructions, I used domesticadventures directions on how to make a diaper cake. 

A few months later, I made another one. This one was for a fellow teacher. 

TPT Favorites

It's a "cold day" here, so that means no school for this teacher. I decided I am going to share some of my favorite TPT (Teacher Pay Teacher) purchases. These purchases have not only saved me time from creating my own, but they also have helped my classroom run much smoother.


1. Reading Response Journal Prompts by Erin Morrison (Teachers Pay Teacher- $5.00)


This Journal prompt is great, I can do a mini lesson on one prompt and then send my students to work on that prompt independently with a text. I usually pull small groups during this time because I know the rest of my class is working on something that is aligned with the common core and will allow them more "at- bats".


2. Third grade Writing Prompts with Common Core standards


This was purchased from TPT made by Gina Kennedy for $3.00. I love the variety of these writing prompts. I use this during free write or even morning work some days. I also used these when my students were really practicing their RACE format for extended responses. I would highly recommend this download. It saves you time and the kids look forward to the next day prompt.

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Seating and storage for the classroom

I don't know about you, but when pulling kids over to a small group table for a mini lesson or one on one instruction, the moving of chairs can cause quite a distraction.

My solution to this was to have seats available for my students and provide storage as well! Below are the seats I made from plastic crates (purchased from Walmart $6 each) , foam pads (micheals $4 each), wooden planks (Home Depot $4 each) and material (Walmart $5 total). 

This project took me about 45 min to complete and my students love them! They get excited to come to the table for extra practice and I even use these seats as a special privilege for those students who go above and beyond!

Teacher Notes - Analyzing Character Growth

At my current school, they LOVE the use of anchor charts and I could not be more happy. My third graders in particular love when I use different colors and designs. It sounds silly and maybe minute to some of us, but if a little bit of color and creativity gets my students to pay attention and remember the important details from the lesson, then bring it on Crayola!
My third graders are beginning a new unit on Monday and the text we are using is "Frindle". 

For anyone who knows this book, its a fun great story teaching kids to always push the limits of their ideas. 
While reading this text, my students will be reviewing and building on standards they have already learned. The anchor chart I have created below is for an upcoming lesson where my students will be analyzing how the main character,Nick, grows throughout the story.