Powered by Blogger.

What is the Back 9 Era?

Hello there!  Yet again, I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for their weekly link-up:
                                FRIDAY FAVORITES~!


Back 9 Era:  What is it?

I am 65 years old and still learning new expressions.  The other day in the NYT mini, the clue was for low quality digital content.  I thought the answer was "spam."  Eventually, I got it:  "slop."  My 33 year old son asked, "Didn't you ever hear of slop?"  Ha, not when the word refers to something on the computer.

Anyway, back to the "Back 9 Era."  I have a Peloton bike that I still ride frequently (my name is "Mrswatermelon," if you want to follow me).  I started noticing the hashtag Back9era.  Then I heard Jenn Sherman talking about this term.  I thought it had to do with football.  Wrong again!  Here is what it means:

The "Back 9 Era" is a, popular fitness and lifestyle mindset, particularly for people over 50 (or roughly 40+), representing the second half of life. It uses a golf metaphor—where the final nine holes (10–18) follow the first nine—to reframe aging not as a decline, but as a proactive, intentional, and strong new chapter.

Spring brings on hope for warmer weather and longer days.  In Massachusetts, it doesn't really warm up until June, but if the sun is shining, it feels warmer.  More importantly, as long as it doesn't rain, I can take my granddaughter outside to play as well as take my dog for a walk!



Scaredy Squirrel has some new books:


If you're a Scaredy Squirrel fan, like me, you'll definitely want to check out this new book!


This new book is a chapter book!  There are 4 chapters.  I have read the first chapter to my students; Scaredy Squirrel receives a crate of unknown origin.  You can guess that Scaredy goes into panic mode!  Click here or on the book cover to check out more at Amazon!

Also, there are 4 books in this Scaredy Squirrel's Nutty Adventure Series to check out!

The Old South Meetinghouse in Boston!

If you are planning to visit Boston some day, make sure to visit the Old South Meeting House.  Right across the street, you can also see the newer statues about the Irish Potato Famine.  

Our tour guide at the Old South Meeting House was Erica.  She lead us into the Meeting House where the kids sat in the pews while Erica reviewed the history of the building.  The Old South Meeting House was built in 1729.  Benjamin Franklin was baptized in this building.  Most importantly, the colonists discussed their options when dealing with the taxes England was placing on them.  The final decision to have the Boston Tea Party was made here in December, 1773.

An interesting part of the building includes this octagonal structure above the place where a speaker would stand. (It's hanging from chains right in front of the window.)



We learned that this structure acted as a microphone by directing the speaker's voice out toward the audience.

Another amazing artifact is John Hancock's travel-size desk:


The most amazing artifact for me, was this vial of tea leaves which was saved from the Boston Tea Party.  When one of the colonists returned home from the Tea Party, he found tea leaves in his shoes, and he saved the tea to pass down to his family.  Check it out:



We spent about forty-five minutes at the Old South Meeting House, and we sat in the building where the Boston Tea Party was decided upon.  Wow, what a great opportunity to experience history first-hand!

Have a great week!  It's almost Memorial Day Weekend!








Happy Amazing April!

Happy April!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites!

National Poetry Month!
I love April because it is the gateway to spring.  Of course, here in Massachusetts, winter lasts throughout April (it was actually snowing last Tuesday), but there is hope in the air.  In addition, it is National Poetry Month.  Click here to check out a web site that is full of great poems and to get a free copy of this poster!

Click here or on the poster to download for free!


One of my very favorite poets is Doug Florian.  His poems are wry and colorful.  He has many books.  Here is one example:

https://www.amazon.com/swim-Douglas-Florian/dp/0152024379/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1491758773&sr=8-13&keywords=douglas+florian
Click on book cover to read more at Amazon.


Books to Check Out!
Some other books I have read recently and would recommend include:

Click here or on the cover to read more at Goodreads.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book which you should read before seeing the movie (I saw that, too).  The book explains about Dr. Ryland Grace and scientists' quest to save the Earth from "astrophage" ~ a bacteria that is taking the heat from the sun and will cause Earth to freeze and die.  The book explains the whole process in details which are not explained in the movie.  Plus, Dr. Grace meets and collaborates with an alien, Rocky, who is also trying to save his own planet from the same fate as Earth.

Click here or on the cover to read more at Goodreads.

With all that is going on in the world and in Iran, this book is very of the moment.  I loved reading about how life was in Iran in the 1950's and 1960's. 

This book tells the story of two childhood friends:  Ellie and Homa.  They both grow up in Tehran and end up at the same high school.  Ellie ends up moving to the United States where her husband becomes a college professor while Homa stays in Tehran and becomes a political activist.  I really enjoyed the story of friendship and how Ellie and Homa help each other out in ways they could never have imagined. 


Student Authors!

A few weeks ago I read New Nonsense from the North ~ a book written by third graders:


My students - Isabella, Sierra and Paige - loved this book so much that they made their own version at recess, no less!  I thought it was so original and creative that I had to feature it here!



Massachusetts in the American Revolution

This is the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War.  I always loved teaching all about the reasons for the American Revolution like the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party:



I recently updated and improved a slide deck titled:  Massachusetts in the American Revolution which you can check out here!



Amazing You Tube History Videos Using Legos!

Thanks to my students who have their very own You Tube channels, I decided to investigate myself and came up this perfect video about the Boston Massacre:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxDV6frUnKc






That's it for this week ~ have a wonderful week!  Thank you so much for visiting today!  Make sure to click on the below graphic to check out more great blogs!







Mid-March Marvelous News!

Hello there!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for:

             Friday Favorites:  Spring is Coming Some Day!



NORTH, SOUTH, EAST OR WEST, HOME'S THE PLACE I LIKE THE BEST!

After a year of cross-stitching, I finally finished this work of art:


I love doing my cross-stitching because it keeps my mind focused.  I bought this kit on Etsy, and it was a lot of work, but hopefully, it will be a family heirloom.  

Click here to see more counted cross-stitch kits if you would like to try it out!

NEW RYKA SNEAKERS 

I do love a new pair of comfortable sneakers!  I recently bought these Ryka sneakers (the ones of the right) on TJ Maxx.com for $39.99, and you can also find them on Amazon for $41.70.

These sneakers have lots of support so they are comfortable.  I walk a lot in the warm weather so I'll be happy to have these to wear.


APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!


We're preparing for National Poetry Month which is in April.  I just love the way poet Doug Florian uses words so creatively. 


We also read a poem, Rain, by Robert Louis Stevenson:




I found the best poem by Eileen Spinelli for St. Patrick's Day (I changed Canadian to American):


We also wrote paragraphs about why we're lucky.




In addition, here's a reminder March 21st, is World Down Syndrome Day as well as Lots of Socks Day!


I have even prepared my Morning Message for tomorrow!


Lots of Socks Day & World Down Syndrome Day ~ March 21st!



Even thought these Morning Messages are dated in the past, I have redone them all and show them on the "big screen" in front of the room!

In the meantime, Happy St. Patrick's Day.  When my father passed, we put this quote on the prayer cards:

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.




Back to Top