CONSTRUCTION PAPER WREATH TUTORIAL

I was shocked to see my blogger stats the last few days skyrocket with over 70,000 hits to THIS post alone (about paper wreaths of all things). I figured that if that many people are interested in such a thing, I might as well provide guidance on how to make them. Maybe it will help to ease the stream of e-mailed inquiries I've been getting. 

You need:

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1.) one 9''x18'' sheet of green construction paper

2.) scrap paper of any color you'd like for bows, berries, etc. 

First, take the green paper and fold it in half...

...hot-dog style, like this.

Draw a line along the length that is open...NOT the side where the crease is...about 1-2 inches away from the edge. This marks your "NO CUTTING ZONE" for later. 

Then, draw tic marks every half-inch along the top and the bottom. You can make these marks one-inch apart for younger kids, but the narrower they are, the "lacier" your wreath will turn out in the end. 

I always tie this project in with the math lesson we have each December on measuring to the nearest half-inch.

Next, connect those tic marks with your ruler to make straight cutting lines. Notice my lines stop at the first line we drew earlier.

Then, cut along each line you drew, being careful not to go too far!

It will look like this when you've finished cutting. 

Now, open it up...

...And roll it in the opposite direction that the crease was folded to make a tube-like shape. It helps to have a second pair of hands for this step.

 I have the student hold one end together while I put staples in other side every couple of inches...as far in as my stapler will reach. Then we trade sides and I staple the other end the same way. 

I've found it just works better to have adults do the stapling part. Kids will only bunch it up, rip the "rings," and get frustrated. I always have a few teacher's aids on hand for this project.

I've also found that creasing the section that isn't cut, on either side a little bit helps to shape it for the next step. 

Now, join both ends of the "tube" you just made to create the wreath shape...

...and staple the ends together. At this point, you may need to finagle the stapler in through the "rings" to fix any bulges in the middle. After this, it should look like a wreath.

While students are waiting for an adult to help them with the stapler, they work on cutting out bows and berries. I've even had creative kids add pine cones and squirrels. I let the kids draw their own embellishments free-hand to allow for some individuality. If it's easier for you, copy off some clip-art bows for them to cut and paste instead.

Hang the final product in a window, on a door, or make a garland of them across the classroom ceiling.

Let me know if you have further questions. Become a follower to stay updated on future kids' crafts, activities, and other classroom helps. Enjoy your holidays! 

HALLOWEENIE

My husband is rather smolder-y as a school robes sportin', adolescent wizard.  

His wand is a chopstick with Japanese characters. It chose him. 




I dressed up to go along with my classroom's bumblebee theme: yellow duct tape, black ruffle stripes, white pantyhose wings, and bumblebee themed nails. The tutu is only the second project made with my new sewing machine. I got the ruffles idea from here. 

I thought I was being so unique until one of my students and all four teachers in the Special Ed department showed up as bees too. Oh well. 

MY CRAZY WEEK

I woke up this morning at NOON. When I finally rolled over and looked at the clock, I was shocked. I had to go check the other clocks in the house to make sure. I guess my body needed it:

1.) Parent Teacher Conferences.
They require hours of preparation between the grading, progress reports, projects in class to finish and display, IRI graphs to print, thoughts to organize, classroom to clean, and appointments to arrange. And then there are the late nights actually conducting the interviews. And then there is usually that one parent who is angry at you for suggesting their child has any room for improvement or could have possibly ever broken a school rule. sigh.

But other than that, I really, truly, enjoy parent teacher conferences. I always leave with a clearer understand of why my kiddos are the way they are. Also, seeing how much the parents love their kids, for some reason, makes me love the squirts even more than ever.

2.) Sick.
Our house has had bad luck in the health department. Last week, Andrew came home miserable with the stomach flu. Luckily, with some distance and a bottle of Pepto, I was able to escape with only a day of mild nausea. But this week, I came home with a burning throat and a sinus headache. Teaching twenty-four, active eight-year olds while sick is never fun. 

3.) New Calling.
I learned to love my sunbeam calling much faster than expected. My bad attitude at the beginning only shames me now. And, as usual, the moment I get comfortable, I am issued a new call.

Laurel Advisor.

Relief Society presidency didn't terrify me near as much...and I was shakin' in my high heels back then, let me tell you. A few bad experiences must have traumatized me forever, because I have been out of high school for nearly ten years now, yet adolescent girls still make my palms sweat. It's as if I revert back to awkward teenager the moment I'm around them (though if we're being honest here, when have I NOT been socially awkward?). At mutual, I'm suddenly very conscious of my lack of witty things to say. Is my face turning red when I speak? And where am supposed to rest my hands while I hold a conversation?

The above quote has been helping me keep the proper perspective. This isn't about me. It's about those sixteen and seventeen year-old girls. Serve accordingly, Rachel.

4.) The House. 
Andrew's gone until 9 or 10 every night working to finish it by the new year. Although we knew it would be like this, and we agreed the sacrifice was worth making to build this house...it totally sucks. 
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I spend a lot of time digitally painting houses online these days. After angst-filled deliberation, I think the exterior house colors have been selected. Almost. I think.

On the Bright Side.
*I have the very best class this year. I just love them. Last year was so hard...and this year has been a breath of fresh air.

*Andrew is so wonderful. I was so miserably sick last night, and Andrew got a bath ready for me, brought me food, and rubbed my aching head until I fell asleep. I am spoiled rotten.

*After two late nights of parent-teacher conferences, teachers have Friday off. I love today.

*My Laurels are so good-hearted, talented, and well-versed in the Gospel. I don't know why I'm worried.

*We are totally building our own house. And that is freakin' awesome.

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

Yes, I am still talking about our NYC trip. I probably will be for another year...that's how many pictures I took. 

Having an art degree, this place was kind of a big deal for me. Like, I was in heaven. It was fun to see all the original paintings I had only ever seen in textbooks. 

The building itself was a piece of art. The design was so fun and open.

I like the movement and action captured just by repeating the image one more time.

Look familiar to anyone? Andy Warhol's Pop Art of Cambell's soup cans, Mickey Mouse, and other famous popular culture icons are really well known. 

This is a really famous painting. 

But mostly, it just gave me a strange urge to find my tweezers. 

This painting was certainly itty-bitty for being so famous. 

I was excited to find this, because I always plan a mini unit about real vs fantasy centered around Marc Chagall's paintings. It's so much fun to hear my third graders holding in-depth analytical discussions about his work. 

There were more Picassos than I can list. 

Andrew wasn't impressed with this famous painting. Neither was I, actually. 

I've always been a fan of Kandinsky. His paintings are happy. 

Kinda cool, I guess. 

There were several of Seurat's pointillist paintings. They don't do much for me. 

Am I the only one to get goosebumps from looking at a painting? 

Don't answer that.

I didn't realize this was so big. 

Cezanne is probably my favorite artist...because of the colors, and free, expressive strokes, and defined outlines. I wish they had more there at MoMA. 

And there were a nice collection of Van Goghs...

Such as this grand finale of the day. I know that it's a super trendy, over circulated, commercialized painting...but it really is incredible art. It's so much better in person.

BLOW MY MIND

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*Andrew and I played a game of pool this week. And just so you are aware, I won. Fair and square. I thought this was news worth shouting from the rooftops. 

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*You'll never guess the fabulous way in which I am spending my harvest break...

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Attending a state-mandated math class for teachers...EIGHT hours a day...Monday through Friday!!! 

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You're jealous, right?  

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I was determined to be reeally grumpy over being robbed of my vacation time, until this math class had the nerve to be...fun. 

I can't believe I just said that.

Basically, I've learned the following:

1.) Despite being an expert teacher of algorithms, I know nothing.

2.) I was taught to follow procedures rather than to think for myself. 

3.) I have been teaching my students to follow procedures rather than to think for themselves. 

4.) When I actually use my brain, I'm not so bad at math after all. 

My mind is officially blown.

But all this math is taking it's toll on me. Let me illustrate:

If xy = z, and x = number of hours in class and y = number of days in class, then z = 40 hours of thinking mathematically. 

z also equals: 

My brain literally aching like an overworked muscle at the end of each day...And my mind continuing to work the problems from class in my dreams all night long...And a very tired Rachel upon waking each morning...And a 3rd grade teacher who is SO EXCITED to teach her next math lesson!

*It is October 6th, today. 

October SIXTH, people!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet, here I was, taking pictures from our bedroom window this evening.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

In the mail today, we received a coupon booklet. I immediately ripped this page out for future use at our favorite date night location. We love ourselves some good Costa Vida.
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But then...something else caught my eye. 

Seriously? Is that not the most unfortunate of acronyms...even without purposely splashing it around in bold, fancy font?

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Especially for such a manly store. 

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It's almost as bad as the EVCO House of Hose building we always pass with a snicker. (Yes, we're mature like that.) Who knew garden hose could be so dirty?

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But it doesn't come close to the company name I can't even bring myself to type it is so horribly X-Rated in this context. 

Just protecting the innocent, you see. I shouldn't have even brought it up in the first place. 

I HAD A DREAM

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It officially feels like autumn in our neck of the woods. I run the heater in my car in the mornings and the a/c in the afternoons, leaves are are turning gold, and I keep passing trucks of freshly harvested potatoes on the highway. 

These are also harbingers of college football, Andrew's sacred hunting season, and the school district's week-long week off for spud harvest. I love spuds. If southeast Idaho was given a week off of school for harvesting bowling balls, I'd love those too.

So anyway, I had a dream the other night that was truly horrifying.

Andrew was trying to kill me. With a knife. I had to protect myself curled up beneath a couch cushion.

What spurred this, I have no clue. You Freudians out there might argue that it was an expression of repressed feelings of anger or hostility toward my man. Or that I feel I am being controlled or victimized by him in real life.



Whatever.  Anyone who knows Andrew Ashmore wouldn't believe it for a second. Just look at that face!   

Then I had to wake up and act normal around him. Ha. It's amazing how real dreams can feel sometimes. Like the time I dreamed he drove our car into the river, and then I spent the next morning angrily lecturing him on the evils of reckless driving. Poor guy.

On top of everything, this haunting images happened on the eve of his 27th birthday. Then I woke up and was all whimpery over what possessed him to attempt slashing me to pieces! I thought he loved me!

My poor husband can't catch a break. 

I guess that's my whole story. Andrew hates me and wants me dead. Have any of you had dreams so realistic they affected your emotions the next day?