Where does the time go?   Thanksgiving break has come and gone.   It was wonderful seeing all of the smiling faces and sweet friends, but it sure was tough getting out from under the cozy covers in the pitch dark to return to work.   

Organization is the key for me and I am thankful that I left everything ready for this week prior to the Thanksgiving break.   This week in our Houghton Mifflin Harcourt language arts pilot series, we are reading a story called "Seasons".   This series is full of non-fiction pieces, but I was having trouble making connections to our daily lives.   We really don't have "Seasons" here in Southern California.   Three students saw snow over the break and they shared their stories with us, but the connections to the text just were not coming through to my firsties.  

When we read the section on "Fall" an idea hit me!   Earlier in the morning our custodian had blown all of the leaves in our quad area to a patch of lawn near my classroom.   I am sure he put them there for the landscapers to mow up, but my wheels were spinning with a different plan.     So we dropped our textbooks and lined up for an on-the-spot adventure.  Once we traipsed our little bodies outside, we bundled up with our coats, scarves, and mittens.   We discussed the difference in the nearby trees- evergreens and deciduous.  Students observed the trees surrounding our classroom.   Next, I put on a real act as we came around the corner and discovered the huge mound of leaves.   They never needed to know how they got there; that would have ruined the magic.   We lowered our voices so we could hear the crunching of the leaves as we marched through them.   All you could hear were delightful giggles.   Suddenly, those cozy covers from earlier didn't seem so important to me.   Here I was in my element once again!   You should have seen their expressions when I said that we should toss them in the air and play in the autumn leaves.   It was a priceless moment.   I am sure when they reread the story to their families tonight, they might have a story to share with their parents!