I'm Bored!

How many times have you heard I'm bored over the break? I would guess multiple times. So what is a parent to do? Well, I have some ideas that I have tried in the past and have worked for me.
Take a trip downtown to the Science and History Museum. Did you know that if you buy a family membership to our museum you can use that membership card to get into hundreds of other museums around the United States. My wife and I have taken our kids to museums in Louisville and Nashville for free because of our membership to the Owensboro Science and History Museum.
We also have a great library in Owensboro with many things to do. If you have not been to the library in some time, you and your family are missing out on some special bonding time. Not only does the library have thousands of books to read they also have a family room located on the second floor. They library also has computers for you and your children to use and have fun on.
But what can I do with my kids at home? Well, the first thing to do is get out some of those board games that have been collecting dust in the cabinet. Monopoly and Life are great games to teach about finances and how to manage money. Stratego is game that I loved to play when I was a child and it teaches children about strategy and decision making. Those games are great for older kids, but what do I do with my younger kids. I can remember playing the game Cootie with my mom for hours. Memory match games provide loads of fun and are easy for younger kids to play. Sorry and Connect Four are both games that young children can play with older siblings. Card games such as Old Maid and Go Fish are great learning games to play with your younger kids.
The one thing I would recommend is snuggling up on the couch with some books and reading to your kids.
Those recommendations require family involvement. What do I do if I need a break from my kids? Besides the obvious go clean your room there are things you can do to help foster creativity and independence with your kids. Give your kids some cardboard and tell them to create the most creative and unique thing they can make. Get out the Lego's and give them certain items to create with the magical blocks. Spread shaving cream on the table and let them design whatever they like on the table. Did you know that the shaving cream actually cleans the table as they play with it? If you have a tablet or a smartphone have your children recreate their favorite parts of a book they have read while you or another person records it.
Enjoy the break with your children and make some magical memories for the whole family!

This Isn't Homework!

I'm not big on traditional homework, so I am not going to give your children homework that is going to kill them with boredom. I am going to give you some ideas that you can do with your children. No, I am not giving you the parents homework too! You might be required to do some things to help your children get the homework completed.
All of these are completely optional and your child is not required to do any of the things listed. 

Reading- 15 to 20 minutes of reading each day. Report back to your parents on what you read. Tell them about the characters, setting, problem and solution. Give your parents a kid rating from 1 to 10. 1 being you hated the book and 10 being you loved the book.

Writing-
1. Keep a journal of what you did each day.
2. When you finished a book you have a couple of options.
     a. Rewrite the ending to make it different. It could be a happy, funny, sad or whatever kind of ending you would have liked to see.
     b. Add another character to the story. Give the character a name and provide background information on the character.

Math- take a trip to Walmart or any other department store. This can be recreated if you have newspaper ads or shop online if you can't venture out to a department store. For younger elementary students they are to write down 3 items that they really want, but it can't total more than $100. Make sure you write down the name of the item and how much it costs. For older elementary students they are to write down 3 to 5 items they really want, but it can't be more than $1,000. You can now go home and do the next part of the assignment. .
Next, have the students calculate how much money they have spent. They then need to calculate how many hours it would take for them to purchase all of their items if they made $7 an hour. Next, have them calculate how many hours it would take to purchase the items if they made $10 an hour. Then have them calculate how many hours it would take to purchase the items if they made $20 an hour.

Sight words- cut out squares of paper with your child's sight words on them. Make sure each word is written twice. Play a game of memory match with them.
Play Connect Four with the sight words. Every time your child gets a word right they can drop a chip in.

These are just suggestions that will help keep your child from saying "I'm Bored!" and help them keep their skills sharp.

Have fun!

It's Snow Fun!

Ms. Ellis's class used some Christmas magic to make exploding snow! They combined baking soda and shaving cream to make a cool, powdery snow, and added in some Christmas magic (glitter). Then they went outside to spray our snow with a magical spray (vinegar) which caused the snow to bubble up and grow! They had a blast!

Merry Christmas

The staff at Estes Elementary would like to wish all of the Estes families a very Merry Christmas. Take this holiday and enjoy every little minute you have with your family. Tomorrow is not promised and we do not need to take anything for granted. We love all of you! Check back in a week and I will have some work for your students to do over the break, but for now their homework is to relax and recharge with you.

Making Snow

Ms. Manqueros and Ms. Lee lead their students in making snow. These classes made snow and snowmen with a couple of different recipes. By the looks on the students faces, they were having a great time! 

The Best Christmas Present Ever!

That is what Kirsten said when she walked into Mrs. York's class. Why? Read the note and you will understand why.

Movie Night

 The inaugural Christmas Movie Night was a huge success. Students who signed up and brought their ticket to the movie night were treated to popcorn and a Hug drink. We hope the parents enjoyed their time away and had a relaxing time.

Bike Giveaway

On December 11th, our Estes students were on the receiving end of something special. Academy Sports gave our school 50 brand new bikes to give away however we saw fit. We chose to give the bikes away based on grit. Grit incase you are new to the blog is the combination of passion and perseverance. We want our students to understand that hard work pays off and that nothing truly is given away for free. Our Estes students met and exceeded that grit challenge. We would like to thank Academy Sports for making 50 of our students extremely happy during this Christmas Season.

Custodian Cookies

Ms. Seaton's class made Christmas cookies for our wonderful custodial staff. 

When One Door Closes Another One Opens

On December 19th, Mrs. Meserve retired from her math intervention position. We would like to thank Mrs. Meserve for her years of service in the Owensboro Public School system, and we wish her best of luck in her future endeavors. We would also like to announce that Mrs. Crabtree has replaced Mrs. Meserve and is now our new math intervention teacher. Mrs. Crabtree has some big shoes to fill, but we think she is up for the challenge. We would also like to announce that Mrs. Kyrstal Williams will take Mrs. Crabtree's position in second grade. Mrs. Williams graduated from Western Kentucky University this fall and is eager to start her new position.
Pictured below is a touching picture of Mrs. Crabtree telling her class the news of her taking the math intervention job.

Jewell's Boys

The boys in Mrs. Jewell's class are really working hard in reading. They're asking to take books home to practice and motivating each other to read. Take a look at this fine group of young men reading. Reading can be done anywhere and everywhere. Don't stifle your children at home by having them read in a certain area. Let your children find a place where they like to read and let them dive right into the book. 

Getting Their Hands Dirty With Math

Our third graders use a variety of strategies to solve multiplication and division problems. Math can be dirty, but our students aren't afraid of getting their hands dirty.

What A Wonderful Night!

If you were in attendance for last week's Holiday Showcase, you can attest at how it was something truly special. The event let the students of Estes showcase some of their many talents. The night started off with our smallest of students. Our preschool and kindergarten students might be small in stature, but boy oh boy can they perform. Our pre-k and k students sang 3 songs and were congratulated with a standing ovation! A big thank you to all the pre-k teachers, k teachers and especially Mrs. Etienne for all of their hard work in preparing our students for the sing-along.
Next up was a play by our drama club. The drama under the direction of Ms. Coomes performed The Winter Holiday Show. Our third and fourth grade students made us laugh while we learned about holiday traditions that happen around the world. The acting was spot on and the singing was absolutely entertaining.
The evening concluded in the Bulldog cafeteria with our families enjoying hot chocolate and cookies.

Special Delivery!

Mrs. Millay's class received a special delivery straight from the North Pole. Mr. Williams was greeted by a very small person with pointed ears who directed him to deliver a special package to Mrs. Millay's class. Mr. Williams could have used some gloves because that package was freezing.
Do you know what Mrs. Millay's class discovered when they opened the package? Take a look at the picture below and see for yourself!

He's Back!

The Estes Elf has returned for the second year in a row. This magical elf can be seen at Estes from 7:25 to 8:00 each morning. Please be sure to come to school every day and be on time, so that you can help all of the students find this tricky elf. I might be a little bias, but I think this is probably one of the cutest elves I have ever seen.

First 3D Print

The 3D printer club printed their first object last week. They were assigned the task of designing and creating an Estes ornament for our Christmas Tree. Olivia designed the ornament in the picture.

Not Your Average Text

Mrs. McCarty's class is learning to use text codes so they can dive in and really talk about what they are getting from their reading!

Happy Thanksgiving

The Estes faculty and staff would like to wish all of the Estes families a Happy Thanksgiving. We would also like to thank you for all the support you give your children. During this holiday, we want all of our students to enjoy the break and recharge their brains. Parents, we would like for you to enjoy every minute of this holiday with your children. As a parent of the three children, I see how precious our  time is with them. It is our job to love them and give them all the tools they need to be successful in this world. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

The ABC's of the First Thanksgiving

All of our first grade classes performed a play of the "ABCs of the First Thanksgiving" for some kindergarten students. Pictured here are some of Mrs. Blevins' and Mrs. Wahler's students. All of the students that participated did a wonderful job with their presenting skills.

Gobble, Gobble!

 The Estes family celebrated an early Thanksgiving meal. We hope everyone enjoyed the food and fellowship. We are truly blessed to have great families at Estes Elementary!