Today is the 100th Day of School. Hip, hip, horray!  We started our celebration early with a 100th day shopping spree on Monday.  I told each student they were getting $100 each to spend on some of their favorite internet sites (of my choosing).  After many cheers, I had to break the news that it was only pretend money.  Oh well, we still had a blast.  What girl wouldn't love the chance to shop Justice for everything that glitters and shines?  What boy wouldn't love the chance to shop for his favorite video game or team gear?
My kiddos were given a chart to track their spending and links to Justice, Academy Sports, and Toys R Us.  They went straight to work.  They were surprised at how difficult it was to spend as close to $100 as possible!  They had to estimate, find totals (addition), calculate amount spent (subtraction), and figure "buy one get one half off" sales-lots of math skills put to the test in a real life setting.
I had many students shopping the clearance links to spend that last dollar.  I loved hearing the math chatter around the room, kids discussing their budget and telling their friends what kind of deals they were finding was priceless.  You could just see the gears turning.  Loved it!  This lessons was a success!  

Wednesdays in our classroom end with show and tell.  It is a fun, relaxed time that lets my kiddos share with the class. And, until they read this post, they haven't even realized they are working on listening and speaking standards.
This week's show and tell time was very enlightening for me, and I feel it is worth sharing some of what I learned.

• My third graders are super creative!
• A friend that is willing to learn a dance on the fly (in front of the class) to help you out with your show and tell is a friend indeed!
• Girls' backpacks are filled with all sorts of goodies they can share - just in case they forget to plan for a Wednesday show and tell.
• Age isn't the only thing that can make you forget what you were going to say.  I remind them that they are too young to be forgetful like me.
• Show and taste is even more fun than show and tell.
• And finally - if your Elf and the Shelf gets its legs eaten by your dog it gets to hang around for a little longer after Christmas.

Today I received a very sweet gift that made me start longing for my favorite season - spring.  The beautiful bright pink daisies brightened my day and made me wish for days when the sun sets later and the world starts to turn green again.   What is your favorite season?  Why do you love it?  Describe your favorite season to us all in a way that we feel like we are sharing it with you.

We have discussed how the cicada and grasshopper go through incomplete
metamorphosis.  DESCRIBE incomplete metamorphosis.