Gearing Up To Return

 Each year I decorate my room and say I will not redo it the following year. However, there is just something about beginning a new school year, coupled with Pinterest, that makes me want to redo my room Every. Single. Year.  So...here is what I walked into at the end of July.

It was a BIG mess because we have to clean our rooms out, completely, before we leave for summer vacation. It's always overwhelming when I walk back in for the first time so it typically takes a few trips before I get in a good working groove. 

When I left for the beach on August 2nd this is what I had accomplished. 

I am not finished with my room but I got enough accomplished so that I cou,d leave town until school starts back and not return in a full panic. I painted the front wall and a tree on the side wall, redid bulletin boards, rearranged, mod podged my filing cabinet, & made several new decor items. I have several things left to do when I return like:  hang clips from the ceiling, fill up wall space, decorate my back cabinets, and create a writing center. 

Also, these lovelys are being mailed out tomorrow. Will one arrive at your house???

Be sure to follow my classroom on Instagram, @LSroom27 for the latest pictures and updates!

Summer School Sun Art

This morning I joined forces with the fabulous Mrs. Davis and Mrs Watkins to create a bright and fun sun art project to display in the Leon Sheffield hallway.  We had around 20 upcoming 3rd through 5th graders attend the class and we all, teachers included, had a blast making our art project.

Mrs. Davis found the idea on a Teaching Blog.  Most teachers follow others teaching blogs and borrow their wonderful classroom ideas.  This is a wonderful example of how sharing what goes on in your classroom on a blog can be helpful to others.

Mrs. Watkins was the creative brain power behind the logistics (<---logistics is a big word.  Do you know what it means?) of this activity.  She is the artsy one so Mrs. Davis used a little strategy in selecting her to help with the activity.

I just volunteered my time to help with crowd control and the management of supplies.  What I didn't realize was that I would get to create my very own awesome sunshine painting!

Supplies:

1 Gallery Wrapped Canvas per person

Blue Paint

White Paint

Orange Paint

Yellow Paint

Red Paint (optional)

Paint Brushes (we used foam brushes)

Various Scrapbook Paper

Modge Podge

Bowls/Plates for paint

Step 1:  Paint the entire canvas, including the sides, blue.  The canvas is to resemble clouds.  We incorporated some white to provide a "cloudy" look and used swirls, zigzags, waves, etc...to create cool effects.

Step 2:  Once the blue paint is dry, use orange and yellow paint to create half of a sun on your canvas.  The bottom of the sun must be touching the side or the bottom of the canvas.

I chose to lay my canvas horizontally and place my sun at the bottom, but the canvas can be turned vertically and the sun can be placed on the side rather than the bottom regardless of the orientation of the canvas.

Step 3:  Cut strips of scrapbook paper to resemble sun rays.  Keep in mind that these strips do not need to be perfect.  Mrs. Watkins taught us that randomness was an important component of this activity!

Step 4:  Select a variety of strips to be the rays of your sun.  You will need approximately 8 strips.  Choose different sizes, colors, and patterns.  Once you have selected your rays you may paint the blue sky using the modge podge.  Modge podge acts as glue but it dries clear!  Lay your rays on top of the area that has been modge podged and then modge podge again.  This time you are sealing the rays in place.

Step 5:  Proudly present your work!

We had a great time!!!

My Summer

My summer began like many of yours, with the Alabama Jubilee.  What an absolutely perfect weekend we had for the balloons!  The Sunday morning flight brought the balloons right over my house.  Mr. Upton and I were able to watch them drop right behind our house.  We LOVED it!  Having balloons fly over our house is truly a rare thing living on the Southwest side of town.

I have also seen balloons almost every Saturday morning since the Jubilee weekend.  Each Saturday morning I get up early to go run with some friends.  We saw these balloons preparing to take off one morning out at Point Mallard.  Other mornings we have just seen them in the air.

 I have spent a lot of my time running this summer.  Crazy, right?  It's only 90 degrees outside and I'm outside running!  I actually have been getting up around 5:30 in the morning to get a couple of miles in before it gets too terribly hot outside.

I used to run a whole lot but when Mr. Upton and I got married 2 years ago I quit.  This summer I decided I would start again and began by running a 10K (6.2 miles) sponsored by Chick-Fil-A.  Amazingly, I won 1st place in my age division.  

Now I am running about 40 miles each week and can run about 15 miles at one time.  I'm running that much because I have decided to run a marathon in October and it takes about 18 weeks of training before you can run one.  A Marathon is 20 more miles than a 10K.  

Last week I got together with other teachers from Leon Sheffield and went to Smith Lake for the day.  We had a blast and it was so fun seeing everyone that I haven't seen during the summer.

I'm slowly getting back up to the classroom to get things reorganized for the next group of awesome 4th graders that will enter room 27!  I must have the room completely ready in the next few weeks though because Mr. Upton and I are going to enjoy some time at the beach before school starts back.

I hope you are having a great summer!!

Click on the pencil right below these questions to leave your reponses.

1.  Tell me some fun, exciting, or interesting things you've done this summer.  

2.  Did you figure out exactly how many miles I will be running in my marathon?

3.  Tell me two books you have read this summer.  If you've only read one then I will accept settle for one :/

Welcome Back!

I got to meet 24 precious fourth graders at orientation tonight!  I enjoyed spending time with them and sharing a little about what to expect this year.

Here's a peek inside our classrom.

This will eventually be our mail station once I find a replacement for my mailbox system.  I'm hoping to find and purchase a replacement this weekend!

This is our 7-Habits board, birthday board, special area times, cubbies, and small group table.

Literary genre posters and picture books

C.A.F.E. Board and additional cubbie space

Daily Three

I LOVE my new chevron curtains!

Class Dictionary and Bathroom Sticks on the left and Lunch Menu and Where Are You? on the right

Our classroom library!

I am hoping for a 4S line every time we are on the move!

The treat I gave my students, "I'm so LUCKY to have you in my class!"

I am looking forward to a GREAT year!

Welcome to Mrs. Upton's Room!

I am so excited to have you in my classroom this year.  We are going to learn a lot but we will have a super time while doing so!
Now, a lot of you probably know me as Miss Bowling.  I have been Miss Bowling for 4 years at Leon Sheffield and that name kind of sticks :).  This summer I GOT MARRIED to Mr. Ryan Upton :)  Along with being married comes a new last name.  So, I am no longer Miss Bowling.  This year I will begin going by Mrs. Upton.  If you slip up and call me Miss Bowling it will be okay.  Matter of fact I slip up and call myself Miss Bowling some times, too.  It's going to take some practice for all of us, but I think we can handle the change.
Below is a picture of several of my students from last year and me at my wedding reception.  I was so glad they were able to join me on this special day.

This year will begin my 5th year at Leon Sheffield and my 5th year of teaching 4th grade.  In 2007 I graduated from Athens State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education and then in 2010 I received a M.A. in Library Media from The University of West Alabama.  I absolutely love my job and I really enjoy teaching the 4th grade.  My students are always the sweetest, the curriculum is the coolest, and I think I have the best classes each and every year - and I already know this year is going to be the same.  I have a fabulous looking class list of 22 SUPER 4th graders.
Throughout the year we will have 2 websites.  I will have a classroom web page that will stay updated with important upcoming dates, student blogs, spelling lists, homework assignments, reading requirements, study guides, and math information.  You may visit that site now to see what it looks like and to get acquainted with it, www.dcs.edu/webpages/lbowling.  In addition to the classroom web page I will also maintain this blog.  The purpose of the blog is for you to see the fun things going on inside of our classroom and around our school each day.

OPEN HOUSE  
Open House is scheduled for Thursday, August 11th at 6:30 p.m.  I will take a few moments to meet with parents while Mrs. Poovey holds students in the gym or Little Theatre.  We will take this time to discuss a few important topics like how we conduct math in 4th grade and a few other tidbits, then the kiddies will come in and have a chance to put their school supplies away.  If you are unable to attend Open House you may bring your school supplies with you on the first day of school which is Monday, August 15th.

I am looking forward to seeing and meeting each of you!

Stayed tuned for pictures of this year's classroom :)