Thursday, October 29, 2015

Food Allergies and Science Experiments

In our last chapter in Science a few years sgo, we had instructions to complete an experiment with eggs.

In case you were not aware, I have 3 children allergic to eggs :/

So normally I would just skip the experiment/activity. Like when Saxon 1 calls for using peanuts... we have peanut allergies, too... obviously we just SKIP it or find a substitute (in that case we used jelly beans in plastic Easter eggs).

This recent experiment though seemed pretty safe because if it was done correctly the kids would have no need to come in contact with the eggs.  So we tried it;)



YAY!!

The hesitation (and nervous fussing) was magnified due to the eggs being present:/ And during this 1st attempt both girls (and possibly Nate as well) were WAY behind me... so they could see but not be anywhere near the eggs:)

I am thankful for my children's healthy respect of some of these food they are allergic to since they can (and have) made them ill. So they DO need to be super cautious about knowing what ingredients are in foods they are planning to eat. AND knowing what foods are lingering around them... ie, peanut shells near playgrounds, scrambled egg leftovers in the sink, or even a gallon of milk in the fridge when we have company.

But there should also be a healthy balance that I am constantly striving to model. I don't want their allergies to unnecessarily limit them! Like not going to the park because of the peanut shells. Or not wanting to touch a cart at the grocery store because what residue might be leftover from the person before us (who gave their noisy kiddo a peanut butter snack at the store).

Thankfully.... with taking some necessary precautions, like warnings NOT to touch the egg:) Or to step back, just in case the egg flies... LOL! We had a fun time with this experiment and grew a little bit with our food allergies, too.


Wednesday, October 28, 2015

The Perfect Purple Pencil Sharpener


In the busyness of the classroom, there are very few items that a teacher can rely on consistently to bring peace during the day. And for me there is nothing more aggravating than having students constantly sharpening pencils with the loud scraping or machine like noises. Or having the pencils that they do sharp not completely sharpen... so yes, more noise, distraction and kids off task.

In our small classroom of four, a pencil sharpener brought our chaos into sanity about a year and a half ago! Our little red beauty has served us well.... and others, too! Yes, others! We have sharpened friends' pencils to our house. Pencils from church groups. Pencils for my husband's work related events.

We were recently asked if we wanted to try out the newest color... purple!! We eagerly agreed because we know the quality of our red sharpener and the fun (and peace) it has brought into our classroom space. After sharpening the first pencil we were reminded of how much we love these sharpeners!

The biggest thing with these sharpeners is the ease of use (safe and easy for the kids to use),

The durability and simplicity,

The consistency,

And the cool colors!!!

What a great way to bring sanity saving and fun into a classroom of ANY size!

Classroom Friendly Supplies is also committed to make shopping with them simple and painless:) They have multiple of different colors and quantities available. Even a sharpener for those thick pencils for those little hands! And FREE shipping!

They must speak "teacher" !

Get your PURPLE (or red, green, blue, pink, or black) sharpener at Classroom Friendly Supplies!


**We are grateful for Classroom Friendly Supplies for the opportunity to do this review of their new purple sharpener! We have accurately shared our opinion of this product with no compensation besides being able to keep the new purple sharpener!