*sigh*

While reading a small portion of "Stuart Little" with a few of my kids we came across the name "Mrs. Frederick C. Little."  I was explaining to them that when a woman is married, she goes by "Mrs. (insert husband's name)"  I then gave them a practical example:

Me:  So, my wife would be Mrs. Greg Barnett 

Student:  But you're never gonna get married, so that won't happen.

Me:  *sigh*  Thanks for the encouragement.

Holi cow!

A photographic memorial of our day at the Holi Festival.

1 - While walking back to the car, there was a girl leaning out of the window of her car making this face.  She turned to look at us, but the face didn't change.  She drove on, then the traffic slowed her down and she passed us again - making the same face.  We laughed.  She turned to look, the face again didn't change, and so we laughed some more.

2 - Another guy driving down the road yelled "Hari Krishna!" out of his window while making the rock on sign.  Apparently he'd had a good time.  On a side-note it sounded like he said, "Merry Christmas."

3 - While walking to the Hari Krishna temple for the color-fest, a couple of girls jogged past us.  One of them said, "Wow!  This is exhausting!"  And her friend said, "Yeah, but at least we don't like have to pull a handcart or anything."  Awkward.  These were our reaction faces.

4 - Once again walking back to the car after the shindig was over.  A rather macho guy was handing out water bottles.  We passed his car and Deedee decided it would be nice to go back and ask for one.  Which she did: "Hey!  Can I have one?  Oooh!  I really like you're hat! *giggle*" then he was all "Hu hu, yeah, I wish we could've known each other better.  Look me up on facebook!"  And she coyly smiled and turned away.  This picture is me thanking her for getting her flirt on and securing us a much needed bottle of water.

The festival also included thousands of people, purple spit, a man in nothing but an ever-so-slightly sheer orange head-to-toe jumpsuit and a black jockstrap, meeting up with old friends, walking, talking, loud music with only three lyrics ("krishna", "rama", and "hare" - pronounced ha-ray) a false-alarm colored dust-bowl, and actual colored dust-bowl, spotting friends from across the road, lots of traffic, a trip to CPK, and a short adventure in a photo booth.

Learning?

After a short activity picking up trash outside - during which the boys and girls competed to see who could pick up more:

Students: Who won?

Me: ...EVERYBODY!!!

Punk student who gives me lots of grief: Guys, it doesn't matter who wins.  What's important is that we cleaned up our community.

I laughed so hard.

Clubbin'

Um...I'm doing this next year with the boys in my class.  And in fact I'll probably have one for the girls in my class too.  I'm already stoked to get it started.

Are you able?

I spent my day today cooped up in a room with a bunch of women.  I realize that's sort of the story of my life as I'm an elementary school teacher, but still.  Today's topic was spelling instruction, and writing instruction.  Both worthy topics.  I stayed tuned during the spelling, but by the time writing came around I was pretty much done.  My attention is not easily held after being stuck in one spot for that long.  So, though my afternoon was a waste, I did learn something interesting this morning - the mystery of -ible vs. -able.

It turns out that -ible is used with root words and -able is used with base words.  "What's the difference?"  You ask?  Well let me illuminate you.  A root is part of a word that cannot stand by itself - terr, feas, sens, etc. whereas a base word can stand by itself.  So, if it's a base word, you add -able i.e. movable, likable, suitable, allowable.  Helpful hint 2 - the -able suffix is used with verbs.  If it's just a root, add -ible i.e. permissible, visible, divisible, edible etc.  There are, as with all rules, exceptions - flexible, digestible - but it's a good rule of thumb. :)

Aspiring Astronauts

We're studying the moon landing right now.  My kids were being ridiculously spacey so I punished them by making them write one entire page *gasp!* on what they think it would be like to live on the moon, or if they thought it would happen etc.  Writing by 8-yr-olds always produces some rather entertaining results.  Behold:

"...you can't eat the same way you did on the Earth no water to drink.  no fruit to eat or make juice."

"...they would have nothing to eat and nothing to sleep on if they live up there and how can they brush there teeth it is just scary... ...it would be hard up there and scary but fun because we wouldent have to go to school do boring stof like we mostly always when we go to school."

-and I'm the "funnest teacher in the school" sheesh.

"I think liveing on the moon is cool but you will die.  Because in the moon there is no ocijin (oxygen).  And you will not have a bed, tv, house, couch, uvin to cook food..."

-the reason this one entertained me is because on paper the word "uvin" looks like "urin", so I was confused for a bit.

And now for the pièce de résistance:

"If people lived on the moon that will be the futer.  In 2100 thats when the futer starts picture of the futer at the back:

Just to clarify a little here, the giant space-aged civilization in the middle is the moon.  Evidently the two cities will be tethered together for safety - so as not to fly off the moon, as most of my children got the impression that there is no gravity on the moon.  The Earth is in the upper left-hand corner, the sun is in the middle, and there's a little dot off to the right - that's Mars.  Apparently Mars will be quite a bit closer to Earth in 2100.  Who knew?

"It has an air bubble to have air.  the Earth is like a half cookie it's because the 1st half is light the other is dark"