HAPPINESS IS WATERMELON SHAPED!: Boston

Happy Fabulous Friday! Today I am linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for:

Cecilia
Every Monday and Friday, my husband and I take care of our almost 11 month old granddaughter, Cecilia:

She is the happiest and most pleasant baby I have ever known. She wakes up from her nap with a smile on her face.
Father's Day Boston Harbor Cruise
Several years ago on Father's Day, my family and I went on a sunset cruise of Boston Harbor. Here are 2 highlights:

Here's a picture of Boston Light - the oldest lighthouse in North America. It is also a lighthouse that is still manned. Back in colonial days, the purpose of this lighthouse was to warm of the presence of enemy ships.

Continuing on, here's a picture of the famous USS Constitution. In the background to the left of the ship, you can see the Bunker Hill Monument. Every evening at sunset, the crew of the USS Constitution holds a ceremony to retire the flag in which they play Taps and set off a cannon. The sound of the cannon is really loud, and many other harbor cruise ships stay in the area to witness this nightly ritual.

Massachusetts History I always loved teaching about Massachusetts history. Any time I go to another state, my heart does sing when I'm on my way home and see the "Massachusetts Welcomes You" sign. Plus, in 3rd grade, we studied about Massachusetts all year so I'm always happy to add to my knowledge base.
Now it's the 250th anniversary of the start of the Revolutionary War, knowing history is even more relevant!

This picture shows the recent 250th anniversary of the first battles in Concord, MA!
Line Leader Letters/Acrostic Poems

Here is an idea to keep in your back pocket for next school year!

Every week, there is a Line Leader for the class. Besides, always being first in line, this person gets to lead the class in the Pledge of Allegiance and choose a song to sing in the morning. Every Friday afternoon, the students and I write a Line Leader letter (for the first half of the year) or an acrostic poem (for the 2nd part of the year). Then I staple all the pages together and share the pictures with the rest of the class on the rug. The prior Line Leader and I read our letters/poems out loud, and then the Line Leader receives their book.

Here's a sample of the acrostic I wrote to one of the students:

This Friday afternoon tradition was VERY important to me because it is a community and confidence building experience.

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! Make sure to visit this link up to check out other great blogs!

Today I'm creating my own personal Five For Friday to keep you up to date on all the excitement at school and on my adventure to Boston to see the reenactment of the Boston Tea Party meeting at the Old South Meeting House:

Morning Messages

Check out our Morning Messages which focused on suffixes and National Chocolate Covered Anything Day:

One of my new favorite additions to my whiteboard Morning Messages is the gif for falling snow. Click here to check out the snow gif and other animated ones.

A fourth grade teacher at school asked her students how many digits there were. The first answer was "infinity," and that's from one of my former and smarter students. I reviewed digits with my current students - of course, when they're in fourth grade,....

Holiday Concert

We had our school holiday program with a dress rehearsal on Tuesday, and the actual program on Thursday. I forgot my phone both days, but I managed to snag a photo from my colleague, Ms. Aufiero, of the dress rehearsal:

The kids sang a Hanukkah song, Jubilation, as well as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Future Caldecott Winning Books

Every grade level at our school received six possible Caldecott Medal books to read and review with our classes. In January, the kids will vote on the book they feel will win the coveted Caldecott Medal. Now presenting, the book selection:

If you want to read more about some of these books like Are We There Yet? (click here); Make Something Beautiful (click here); or The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles (here).

As we read and review these books, I'll be sure to write about our opinions.

Boston City Hall Re-imagined and Amazing!

If you've ever been to Boston City Hall Plaza, it's not a place you'd want to revisit. That's all changed now because there's an outdoor skating rink, shopping chalets and food vendors! I can't wait to go back when it's a little warmer than it was last (Friday) night. Here's a peek at the skating rink and the shopping chalets (pictures from

Skating Path

Experienced skaters and novices alike are invited to lace up and skate around New England’s first custom-designed skating path.

MORE INFO

Holiday Market

A shopper’s delight! More than 40 European-inspired chalets selling unique gifts for everyone on your list.

MORE INFO

Click here to read more!

Highlight of the Week = Boston Tea Party Reenactment!

Last August I bought tickets to go to the Old South Meeting House in Boston to watch the Boston Tea Party Reenactment. Of course, last night and yesterday turned out to be frigid, but I was determined to check it out, and it was worth it!

Every year on December 16 at 6:30 p.m. the Tea Party is reenacted starting with the meeting at the Old South Meeting House. There are so many reenactors dressed in their colonial finery. In the above picture to the left, that is Samuel Adams in the red. I accidentally called him "Sam," and I was immediately corrected. Audience participation is encouraged and welcomed; it's a very interactive program that truly brought history to life. Next year it will be on a Saturday night so please try to come if you can.

Click here to read more about all the history that has taken place in the Old South Meeting House!

In closing, I managed to get a monster cold last week and now have serious laryngitis. I just read that whispering is more stressful to your larynx that talking softly. I'm spending a day in silence - which is probably just what I need!

Have a wonderful weekend!