May 31: Collage Time

I really like knowing what my last day of the month picture is going to be and I enjoy playing around with collage maker in Picasa 3. This month flew by. I notice that there are fewer flower pictures this month and there is LOTS of green too.

May 30

Kind of neat the way water will ball up into round little droplets....I have learned much this year through professional development as to why it does that. But sometimes one just needs to appreciate the beauty of natural phenomenon and not get bogged down in details.

May 29

Found this beetle last night as we were searching for rolly pollies. I love macrophotography.

May 28:

Not a great image of a rainbow but the first I have seen in a very long time and this is the first my little guy has seen in real life.

May 27:

He is so fascinated by "Rolly Pollies." Every time we enter or leave the garage area he must search them out and capture a handful to show me...I am glad he isn't afraid of the them any longer and enjoys the search. Plus, he is willing to catch and release so "they can be with their families." He is growing into a good steward.

May 26:

We toured Blanchard Springs Caverns yesterday. After hearing the park ranger, Mom, and Dad say don't touch, the Little Guy finally got to touch a piece of the cave. It was really funny hearing him explain the difference between stalagtites and stalagmites. He couldn't quite get his tongue wrapped around the words. Finally, ended up saying "lagmites and lagtites." I love being a mom!

May 25: Mtn View

We drove over to Mountain View today. I love this section of the drive and think you can tell why. The view changes but it is simply beautiful during all seasons.

May 24: Humming Birds

These are amazing little birds...and they are incredibly fun to watch!

May 23: Wheat

Soon the fields will be golden with winter wheat quickly approaching maturity. I love the color the fields turn.

May 22: Field Day

School celebration at the end of the year. Our booth was called "pin the nucleus in the atom." Kids had fun!!!!

May 21: Mocking Bird

This is the Arkansas State Bird. Early every morning these lovely songbirds awaken thousands of people with their songs. Not much fun at 4 a.m.

May 20: drive home

Driving home yesterday afternoon, I noticed that this farmer at least had put in some rice. We have had the wettest May on record and those crops requiring a long growing season are at risk of not having enough time to reach maturity. I am glad that my lively-hood doesn't rely on this risky business anymore. Though, I do miss working in the fields in the spring....

May 19: My Little Guy

This is what was waiting for me after my trip to Little Rock yesterday and today. His school had spirit week this week and today was crazy day...plaid shorts, striped shirt and spikey hair....he was so incredibly cute!

May 18: Campus Center

Today and tomorrow I will be listening to & watching several presentations of others' EETT grants. I was fortunate last fall to have received a $150,000 technology grant for my school. The presentations are being held in this building.

May 17: Common Milkweed

If you have never observed a milkweed plant up close you really should. The petal curve way back away from the central portions of the flower. And yes, the Monarch butterflies really love these as a host plant. Hopefully, in a few weeks I will be blessed with finding a crysalis and some caterpillars. Keep your fingers crossed.

May 16: Southern Blue Flag

The week wouldn't be complete and my followers would be worried if I didn't have at least one flower picture. This one is called Southern Blue Flag and is a member of the iris family. It prefers filtered sunlight and moist soil.

May 15: Newton Awards

Yes I look amazing! How much courage does it take to dress up for your students? Apparently I have loads. What you can't see is the red squaredance slip.....and you are better off using your imagination.

May 14: Hummingbird Feeder

We will have 6 or so hummingbirds at the feeders before too much longer. Notice how GREEN the woods are now. Hard to believe just a few short months ago they were covered in ice.

May 13: Turtle Crossing

We stopped and moved this large turtle out of the roadway on the way home this afternoon. The little guy was terrified of it...

May 12: Zoo trip

SeaLions anticipating their show. Zoo trip with the science club. We went to the Memphis zoo.

May 11: Einstein Look Alike

Seventh graders are sooo funny!

May 10: Mother's Day

On Mother's Day, we went out to eat and played outside. The little guy discovered this snail crawling on the deck. I love seeing the world through his eyes. I feel blessed to have him and hope to always remember to show awe in his discoveries.

May 9: Visit at Mom's

I love Killdeer. Their call is very distinctive and so is their injured behavior when nesting.

May 8: Mother's Day at DayCare

Today my son's daycare had a tea party in celebration of Mother's Day. They gave us kisses in a spoon, a card in which he had written "I love you!", and a cupcake. My favorite was the silhouette of my son. His teacher is very creative and knows moms as well. I love that she took the time to make the celebration so very special. And of course being the softy that I am I cried when "C" gave me my gifts.

May 7: Foggy Morning

It was foggy this morning. So much so that the cows appeared from out of no where. The little guy loved that I took the time to stop and smell the "roses." Though cow smells are not rosy.
LOL.

May 6: Science Coaches

Today was my final meeting with the science coaches and I decided to join the elementary/middle school teachers in their exploration of hydrophobic/hydrophylic substances. Our final activity was to make modified lava lamps. Awesome! Put some water and some vegetable oil in a bottle, add 10 drops of food coloring and drop in pieces of alka-seltzer. Again, awesome I am going to show this to my students tomorrow. Can't wait for their reactions.

May 5: Sidewalk Art

One of the little guy's favorite things to play with is sidewalk chalk. Today, we covered most of the sidewalk with chalk but he didn't want me to do anything just watch him. It has been a truly amazing to watch his skills develop as he has grown.

Hen & Chicks

Another plant my grandmother gave me a start to is this Hen and Chicks. It is a succulent that lives in an old cast iron kettle that sits on my deck. I have never seen it flower but it is a prolific reproducer. Tiny little "chicks" form within the leaves of the "hen." These can be broken off and passed to someone else quite successfully.

Plant bug

While trying to get the perfect shot of a columbine flower I found this imature plant bug. One never knows what you will find unless you look for it and sometimes you find a little gem along the journey.

May 1: MultiMedia Project

The assignment was to use any of a number of possible media forms to create a presentation that could be shared with lower grades. This is just one example of what the students ended up doing. I cannot even begin to express how proud I am of their accomplishments. Please visit the class wiki later to view other examples. I have also posted the instructions and rubric on the school webpage. Please feel free to use my idea and modify it to fit your needs.

April 30: Collage

I like the collage effect. I like being able to see the month's photos at a quick glance and I like deciding which will be center stage. Can you feel my little guy's breath?

April 29:

Can you guess what it is? Hint: causes some to be miserable.