Let's face it, purchasing books for a classroom can be ex.pen.sive. Most schools require the teacher to provide a majority of the books for their classroom. We want quality books for our students to read, but they can cost up to $25 each! Is it possible to create a classroom ... Read More
Throwback Thursday: Open House
It's Thursday! I promised to have a "throwback" on Thursdays to showcase some of my favorite and most popular posts from Smiling In Second Grade. My Open House post is by far my most popular! On September 8 of last year, I showcased the activities I did to get ready for parents to ... Read More
Gallery Walk
One of the coolest activities that I have ever done was Shelley Gray's Get Up and Move! {A Back to School Gallery Walk}. We did this the first week of school and it was perfect for my 5th graders. The concept of the Gallery Walk is for the students to answer questions that are ... Read More
Lava Lamps!
Today we made lava lamps in Science class - so much fun! Some of my students had already made them, but they were still excited to do them again. The best part? They were super easy to make! I had each student bring in a water bottle. You also need vegetable oil (I needed ... Read More
My First Five for Friday!
Okay, it's not my first Five for Friday. It's actually my favorite linky. It IS, however, the first time I am participating as The Colorful Apple - yay! 1. This is how Wednesday started. Coffee. All. Over. The. Floor. And not in my cup. I was walking out the door ... Read More
Welcome to The Colorful Apple!
Welcome to The Colorful Apple! I am so glad you are here! You may know me from Smiling In Second Grade. It's been exactly two years since I began that blog. When I started, I had no idea how much I would love blogging and that I would still be doing it two years later! ... Read More