Craft Prep and Crticism

My students go to Book Buddies every Tuesday. I'm sure you're familiar with the concept: my fourth graders read to their first grade buddies. It benefits both classes, their comprehension, fluency, and confidence soar in this setting. Anyway, in the spirit of Thanksgivivg, we met today to read and make a turkey craft. I read 'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey and our buddies' teacher had arranged a craft: build a turkey from a tp tube and construction paper. Was it a bit chaotic? Yes. Were the kids engaged and building relationships with one another? Yes! As far as I was concerned, the last 30 minutes before Thanksgiving break we're going well. Now my buddies' teacher is a newbie. This is her first year teaching. Are there things I would do differently? Absolutely. But as the old adage goes, let your actions speak louder than your words. So I was content to teach by example until a TA commented with a knowing expression, "You might want to give her some advice on craft prep." I nodded and went about cutting out turkey beaks. It occurred to me: I could tell my newbie friend what she was doing wrong or I could tell her what went well and praise her efforts. I could suggest how to do things differently or I could give her words of encouragement. I've learned that people generally don't take criticism, even constructive criticism well. It would be more constructive of me to help plan our next craft and SHOW her how a little preparation can go a long way toward easing chaos. She'll figure out the rest on her own.

My New Favorite Toy!

I love Class Messenger! What?! You don't know what it is? Well, let me tell you all about it!
First off, it's from Scholastic so you know it's a quality product. Okay, okay, it's not exactly a product. It's a service and a fantastic one at that. To tell you a little bit more about it, here's a handy Prezi that the folks at Scholastic have produced to give you some more information.

Class Messenger Prezi

What a fantastic thing, right?
To date, I have sent reminders for a get-to-know-you project, book orders, homework, and a request for parent volunteers. It is the best thing ever! But wait! There's more! Class Messenger is an app that you can download for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play!

I hope you find Class Messenger as useful and easy to use as I have! Happy teaching, friends!

Eggs Are Cheap for Dinner!

Going back to work this year after nearly two years off is the pits. I took for granted all the time I had to "play"; Play on the computer, play in my kitchen, and play in my office. Then there's money. There is no money. No extra money anyway.
This brings me to dinner recently. I'm determined to make it to my next payday without dipping into savings (that's another story altogether).
Eggs are insanely cheap and they're a great way to have dinner without going out to buy groceries. Here are two ideas I've used over the last couple of weeks;

Quiche! 
I already had some frozen Pilsbury Pie Crust leftover from Christmas. Thaw those puppies out, gather up some milk, eggs, and cheese and you've got yourself a quiche. Toss a salad and you've got dinner.

Basic Quiche
1 pie crust
3 eggs + 1 yolk
2 cups milk (whole milk works best, cream is even better)
1/2 cup cubed swiss or other medium-density cheese (cheddar is a bit too greasy)
1 T. chopped chives (I use freeze dried)
1/4 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
Up to 1 1/2 cups of the following (or not):
cooked and drained veggies (chopped spinach or broccoli are delicious)
ham or bacon chopped or cubed
cooked turkey or chicken (cubed)
sauteed onions or mushrooms

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Partially bake your pie crust (about ten minutes)
Meanwhile beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.
Take pie crust out of the oven and while still warm, brush with beaten egg yolk. Spread cheese over the bottom of the crust. Spread in any other additions, cover with egg/milk mixture, sprinkle with chives and bake 30-40 or until golden at the edges. A knife inserted will come out clean when the quiche is done. Let cool for 10 min. before cutting and serving.
NOTE: You do not have to have a quiche plate. A regular pie plate works just fine!

Frittata!
Since I had some eggs and spinach and mushrooms leftover from Easter, I decided to tackle Quiche's lazy cousin, Frittata. Like a quiche this is an egg dish, but unlike quiche, there is no crust. EASY!

Spinach and Mushroom Frittata
This recipe was inspired by the one at Food.com.
1-2 T butter
1-2 T olive oil or coconut oil
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 lb Crimini or Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup white or yellow onion, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped or baby
4-6 eggs
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Melt butter and oil in a cast iron skillet. Sautee mushrooms and onion over medium heat until tender. While the mushrooms and onion sautee, beat eggs in a separate bowl. When 'shrooms and onion are tender, stir in spinach until wilted. Pour eggs over veggies and stir to combine. Continue cooking over medium heat for about 4 min. Eggs will be almost done, but not quite "set". They'll still be wet on top. Sprinkle cheese over the frittata, and broil 6" from heat for about 3-5 min or until golden brown and eggs are "set". Let stand 5 -10 minutes before serving. Yummy!
NOTE: Many leftovers can be added to a frittata including cubed or shredded potato (already cooked),  as well as a variety of leftover veggies and/or meat. It's a great "refrigerator cleaner" and reheats well, too!