Friday Fave: Spring Break!

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Woohoo! After a long, cold winter, there’s really nothing better than an entire week off of school. Spring break was made for catching up on sleep, friends, and life in general, and that is exactly what I plan to do with mine! I will still be seeing some of my students who are not on spring break, but I won’t be waking up at 5:30 to get ready for school. And boy, am I looking forward to that :)

Spring fever sets in for me towards the middle of February, when Mother Nature teases us with those semi-warm, sunny days. Now that April is in full swing, spring fever has taken over the Hope Institute. If you’ll be taking your spring break next week, please enjoy it! If you’ve already had it, or if you don’t get one at all – I apologize for the reminder ;) Either way, have a wonderful weekend!

April Fool’s Day!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

It’s only 8:30 am, and I’ve already been pranked…by my principal! He sent out an email telling us to come to a faculty meeting at 8:00 am, and then when we got there, we found that there was no meeting, only delicious muffins :) I’ll take a prank like that any day of the year.

And in honor of the first day of April, here is the newest song of the month:

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

April Fools is on day one,
Jokes and pranks are so much fun,
Play a trick on one of your friends,
Before this day ends,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

April 22nd is Earth Day,
Let’s keep our planet clean,
Recycle and plant some trees,
And make the whole earth green,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

Spring is here the whole month long,
And flowers start to bloom,
When April showers are over,
The sun shines in our room,

April, it’s April,
For thirty days it’s here,
April, it’s April,
The fourth month of the year.

I have a busy but exciting month ahead of me. I’ll be celebrating both my mom and dad’s 50th birthdays, next week is spring break, and then the following week, Zach and I are off to San Diego! I can’t wait. But for now, enjoy your April Fool’s Day and if you play a prank on somebody, make it a nice one!

Spring Snow

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

When the forecast called for snow this weekend, I laughed it off. After all, it’s spring…right? It rained all day long on Saturday, and by late evening the temperature had dropped considerably. Maybe the weatherman was right after all?

Sure enough, when I woke up early on Sunday morning, I looked outside to see approximately four inches of snow covering the ground. So in honor of Illinois’ freak spring snowfall, I’d like to share my snowy day song (one that I thought I wouldn’t have to think about for at least eight more months).

Snowflakes, snowflakes, float to the ground.
Here they come without a sound.
Big and small, down they fall,
It’s a snowy, snowy day.

See the ground, all covered in white,
Can you feel the cold air’s bite?
Making snowmen, snow angels too,
Snow is falling, yes it’s true.

Snowflakes, snowflakes, float to the ground.
Here they come without a sound.
Big and small, down they fall,
It’s a snowy, snowy day.

Make a snowball with your hands,
Toss it up and see where it lands.
Soft and powdery, white as glue,
Snow is falling, yes it’s true.

Luckily, most of the snow has melted and the high today is 60 degrees. My spring break starts next Monday, so I’m crossing my fingers in the hopes that this weekend was meant to balance out a perfect week of sunshine and 70 degree temps. I have other weather songs, ones about warm weather and fun in the sun, that I’d really like to get to. Have a great Monday, everyone :)

Eat Your Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Growing up, I despised breakfast. I didn’t like eating in the morning, and I could hardly stand most breakfast foods. It wasn’t until high school that I willingly ate breakfast, which usually consisted of a granola bar and Capri Sun during my first-hour latin class. Now I’ll eat just about any breakfast food (though I am very particular about my eggs), and it is a required meal if I want to have a productive morning.

I know I wasn’t the only kid in the world who wasn’t a breakfast eater. You probably know a few, yourself…or maybe a kid who doesn’t like to eat lunch or dinner. Children can be very picky when it comes to mealtime, which is what today’s song is all about.

Eat you breakfast lunch and dinner.
And you’re sure to be a winner.
These three meals keep your body strong,
Morning, noon, and night – the whole day long.

Breakfast comes first, it’s how we start the day.
Have it before school or goin’ outside to play.
Eggs and bacon, pancakes too,
Orange juice and milk are good for you.
Breakfast is the first meal of the day.

Lunch comes next, it gives us energy.
For learning, or running, or climbing up a tree.
A sandwich, crackers with some cheese.
And a juice box if you please,
Lunch is the second meal of the day.

Dinner is last, it’s what we eat at night.
When our day is through, let’s have a bite
Of chicken and a vegetable,
Dessert if you are not too full,
Dinner is the third meal of the day.

Eat you breakfast lunch and dinner.
And you’re sure to be a winner.
These three meals keep your body strong,
Morning, noon, and night – the whole day long.

You can always replace the foods I included with whatever your child likes to eat – it’s okay if it doesn’t rhyme! Speaking of breakfast, lunch and dinner, I need to plan my grocery list for the rest of the week. Have a great Tuesday!

Friday Fave: The First Day of Spring!

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

I must start this Friday post with an apology – I’ve been a bad blogger this week :( But I promise I have a good excuse; I have been moving all week, and that has used up almost all of my energy. Actually, there’s no “almost” about it…I am completely drained, both mentally and physically. But today is a very important day, and I just couldn’t stay away any longer.

SPRING!! Raise your hand if you have been counting down the days until its arrival (my hand is high in the air). Even though it’s pretty chilly outside this morning, the sun is shining and the promise of consistent warm weather is palpable. Most exciting of all is that I finally get to sing my “spring” song, which goes like this:

Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone away,
Spring is in the air!
Winter’s gone, let’s go outside, it is spring!

Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers start to grow,
Spring is in the air!
Flowers grow, no more snow, it is spring!

Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm and sunny days,
Spring is in the air!
Warm days, sun’s rays, spring is here!

In more moving news (I know, you’re probably sick of hearing about it by now), we spent our first night in the new house last night! Most of the boxes are unpacked, and our new furniture will be arriving today along with direcTV. It is finally beginning to feel like our home. I will try to post some pictures this weekend, so until then, happy Friday and happy Spring!