A Gaggle of Geese

A gaggle of geese = a bunch of geese.

A mischief of mice = a bunch of mice.

My son said something at dinner the other night that started the hamster wheel in my brain turning.  Before I knew it, I was writing a partner play about all the normal, silly and weird names for groups of animals (i.e. collective nouns). It's a rhyming, 2-page play and it's FREE, so go check it out!

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!  

Now do you get the title of the play?

What Would You Do With This? Part 2

Sooooooo, what did/do you think this is?

Hint: it was in the kitchen section of the store in which I bought it.

Here are two uses I came up with:

bracelet holder

iPhone stand

But here's what it actually is:

It's a trivet! 

If you've got something to share that you've found for WWYD (with this), please post it below!

What Would You Do With This?

So the other day I found this thing.  It was so cool.  I've never come across anything like it. I'm not sure how to describe it.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it but I do know I will find a use for it in my classroom!

This thing needs to be seen to be pondered. 

Voila:

                                                   

What on Earth do you think this is?  

But more importantly, how could this thingamabob be used in your classroom Leave your guesses and uses in the comments below and I'll fill you in on Monday.

My 4-year-old son has adopted it as his toy for the week that we're here in Bemidji, Minnesota on vacation.  It's been a key, a sword, a remote control and a pirate's treasure X.  And he's broken it once. . .but I fixed it!

Saturday Apps #14

Apps make the world go round....well not quite, but they do make our mobile devices go.  I stumble upon apps, I find apps on Pinterest and Facebook and seek out apps on AppsGoneFree. 

Today I'd like to feature 

You Doodle

I recently worked on a project and was in need of some kind of paint and photoshop app.  So I surfed online and chose this one from a list of the 10 best.  I downloaded the free version and quickly played around with it to figure out how it works.  I soon discovered there were a few features that were only available by upgrading to the pro version.  Since most of my project was saved with this app, I didn't want to start over with another app so I shelled out $4.99 and upgraded.  I'm glad I did!  I absolutely love playing around with this program.  

My favorite things about this app are: the variety of backgrounds, the insert ability (photos and clipart) and the smudge tool!

The only thing I dislike and hope they add is a way to move around clipart, text, etc. after you've added it.  Currently you have to save it and once it's saved, it can't be changed.

Here are 3 slides I made recently as part of a contest to win a class set of laptops:

I can envision using this app in my classroom on our iPads and hopefully touch screen laptops I entered the contest for.  I used to do digital projects with students in our computer lab (using KidPix) but there's just not time anymore to "go down to the computer lab". . .the technology has to be IN the classroom and integrated into small learning groups.

I found this meme while surfing too, this kid is a classic so you might have seen him touting many things!

Have a fantastic weekend!