"It's raining, again! I'm bored!"

So we have had how many days of rain now? I think I've lost count. Here are some places to go on a rainy day!

First on the list is our k5tech diigo site too! There are so many websites to try at k5tech that we have not checked out in school.

Girls, LMK is a great site to learn about keeping yourself safe online. It's presented by the Girl Scouts and Microsoft. With your parents permission, you can set up an account and keep up to date with staying safe!

Don't forget about one of my favorite sites, iknowthat.com. You can play all sorts of games from math, language arts, and social studies. With your parents permission, you can set up an account and play games with your friends. (Make sure you know WHO those friends are that you are playing with and never friend someone you don't know in person!)

Another, sure-to-be-a-favorite, is the BBC's KS2 Bitesize. Choose from English, Maths or Science and have some fun with interactive games. There are also links for easier (KS1) and harder (KS3) tasks. Fun for everyone! The BBC is filled with fun games and activities for kids! (Just remember that it's coming from the UK, so some of the wording may be different from what you are use to!)

On the sunny days, get out and play! Enjoy the sunshine and warm weather.

I will be adding things here and on k5tech throughout the summer. Stay tuned.

Baby Boy Irvin's Arrival

You were all waiting so patiently to find out Baby Boy Irvin's name and here it is: Dylan Joshua. He arrived on the 15th, as planned at 10:26am, weighing in at 7 pounds 6 ounces.

Josh, Sidney and I brought Dylan home on Monday afternoon. He met Biggs upon our arrival. Biggs sniffed everything that came home from the hospital with us, including Dylan.

Sidney loves having her baby brother home with us. She helps with changing diapers and getting Dylan dressed. Sid also likes playing with Dylan on his play mat.

In the few moments I have to go online, I am posting Photo Stories. So keep checking in at our Oak Ridge Owls wikispace.

I miss you all and hope you are learning lots of great stuff with Mrs. Balzer! See you soon!

Thanksgiving Time

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. I thought I would share some things with you that make me thankful!

I am so thankful for great people to work with (that's you), a great place to work (that's Oak Ridge), my friends and family, and good health. Time spent with my family is important to me, so I'm thankful for the time we have each day to be together. I'm also thankful for trips to the beach in the summer. Enjoying the sand and surf with Sidney is one of my favorite things to do!

What are some things you are thankful for? Your family, friends, special places to go? Leave a comment with your thankful thoughts.

Also check out http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/ for learning more about the First Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Oak Ridge!

Electing a US President in Plain English

Common Craft is always creating great videos to help people understand somewhat complicated ideas. I just found this video about electing a US President and thought you might enjoy it.

Thoughts from the Lab for Mom and Dad!

In our Technology Lab, we utilize many great programs. Some of our programs are licensed and some are free downloads from the web. Below is a list of programs we use that you can access at home.


Tux Paint

Tux Type2

Photo Story 3



Also, we are now using Microsoft Windows 2007. If you have had any difficulty opening documents from teachers, it may be a compatibility issue. You can download a Compatibility Pack from Windows to help solve the problem.



If you are hearing about Type To Learn, Kid Pix, Kidspiration, Community Construction Kit or Neighborhood Map Machine, these are all programs we have licenses for here in the lab.

If you have any questions about the programs we are using please let me know.

Getting to Know Your Keyboard

We have been talking about keyboarding in Tech Class this week. It's important for you to get comfortable with the keyboard and the location of letters. Type to Learn in a licensed program that we have in the lab. Unfortunately, that means that you can't use it at home. But there are websites that help you with typing. Below is the link for our diigo site with the keyboarding sites all there for you! Try them out at home and let me know what you think.

http://www.diigo.com/user/k5tech/keyboarding

Small Moments

Hi Oak Ridge! I am looking forward to getting back to work with all of you in the lab. I thought we could start school here.

What exciting things happened over the summer? What special place did you visit? What fun things did you do with your family?

Think about one thing from your summer that you could write about for me. Think about how you can show me your story with words. That means you are describing it so I can see your story in my mind. Try to think of just one small moment or happening and stay focused. Don't give me a "breakfast to bed" story.

Your small moment could turn out to be a great topic for a podcast or photo story. Think about how you could publish your story beyond just paper and pencil!

I can't wait to read your great writing!