Around here lately... Stress and GARAGE SALES! -

School Lockdown and an ER visit

It’s been a crazy week! First, we had a school lockdown last Thursday because the FBI was trying to catch a fugitive in our area. Initially we spent 10 minutes on hard lockdown and I had my class in the closets. Then, we moved to a “soft lockdown” and were allowed to switch classes. Kids were escorted to use the bathroom. The kids were upset and it was difficult to continue class as normal. I put on an art video to distract the kids and they could work on their artwork while they watched the video. I brought it up in the Art Teachers group on Facebook and there were a lot of good suggestions there. I was debating whether or not to write about it on my blog, because I like my blog to be a positive place with happy fun art projects. But these are all important things to think about and I noticed today that there was a post in the Art of Ed about school lockdowns. In the community there was another school who received criticism because children had to go to the bathroom in buckets in the classroom and they were not allowed to leave. Safety should always be the priority first and I think we all try to do the best we can given the information we have. After this experience, it made me realize that a lockdown can happen at any time in any school. I encourage you to review your school procedures and think about how you would respond if your classroom was immediately locked down for an extended period of time. Typically, a school lockdown procedure includes locking your classroom door, covering windows and moving away from the door. Also think about how you will calm down the kids. How much information should the kids have about what is going on?… So that was Thursday. They caught the guy later that night about 2 miles from my house.

Fast forward to Sunday… my husband gets really ill and ends up in the ER. His bloodwork turned out normal and it was just a really bad virus. Then Monday, I go to work and at the end of the day, my desk literally collapses. Just what I need when I’m already exhausted!

So let’s talk about happy things now! My favorite season is now upon us…..

Garage Sale Season!!

I was thrilled this weekend that the weather was finally nice enough for garage sales. I love the hunt, the excitement of finding something really unusual or really perfect for what you need…. My grandparents were ~~hoarders~~ flea market dealers and I loved going over to their house because they always had so many unusual treasures and collectibles. We stumbled upon a great garage sale where I found a box of new scissors. I bought about 7 pairs for $3 each… not super cheap, but cheaper than if I bought them from a store. We were running low on adult size scissors. I don’t know where these things disappear to.

I also found this cool pattern stamp box with 24 different patterned stamps. This will be fun to have in an art center.

We also managed to find a Care Bear stuffed animal that Daria did not already have! In perfect condition. For a quarter. We have quite the collection of stuffed animals now. This is her new favorite Care Bear.