Day #1 - Have a Holly Jolly Christmas!
Day #2 - Joy to the World (Nah Elf that!)
I feel like one of the questions asked during an interview for a First Grade teaching position should be: How do you feel about glitter? I've been in this game long enough to know that some people aren't bothered by it, but others DESPISE the shiny pests. This video was inspired by the fact that on Day 2 of the Jingle Jam Jamboree, a craft in my classroom left my floor absolutely covered in glitter and sequins. I suppose a few of my 6 year old friends have some sensory fixations, which I learned as they dug their hands into my craft box and spilled its contents everywhere. I walked into Tracy's office and said "there is glitter all over my floor- let's make a video" so we did! If it's already a mess, might as well add to it to get a fun video right?! So I guess I should thank my firsties for this one.
Day #3- My Dogs Wish Me a Merry Christmas
I had to fly solo on this video since it was a Saturday and we haven't gotten crazy enough to pencil in time during the weekends to meet and collaborate. (YET). I had been putting off decorating for Christmas this year because I swear I just packed up the decorations from last year! (And I am not one of those people who waits until Valentines Day to take their lights down either.) I finally mustered up the motivation to drag the boxes out of the garage and put a little something together. As I began unpacking the boxes, my two dogs, Sky and Rust, would NOT leave everything alone. They were particularly fascinated with this mini little Santa hat that made a "Ho! Ho! Ho!" When the Pom Pom was squeezed - btw you will see this hat did not make it past this video. I knew I had to make my jingle Jam video so I figured, hey, if you can't beat them, join them!
Day #4 - Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
This lovely video is showcasing some of my favorite faculty friends! In order of "rockin'" you will see: myself, , then our fab counselor (you know Tracy), then my first grade teammate (aka life saver) then my bestie on the kinder team and two of her teammates, then our amaaaazing art teacher! Did you follow that?
Day #5- Walking in a(n) [Almost] Winter[Break] Wonderland
As I was sitting at my teacher table teaching the greatest lesson ever created by mankind (not really, I think we were sewing with yarn or something dumb like that) Tracy popped her head in and said "Sleigh bells ring...ARE YOU LISTENING?!" and made a motion, gesturing her arms to the class like *HELLO PEOPLE LOOK AT ME!* and I immediately got what she was laying down.... our idea for day 5! It can be a winter wonderland in your mind if you just focus on how closely that day in your teacher planner (the one decorated with those colorful pens you like) is getting here!
Day #6- Jingle Bell Rock
Day #7 - Baby, It's Cold Outside (When Winter Hits the First Grade...)
Cold weather has FINALLY hit us in Texas and I do not know how many times a day I say the word "coat" or "jacket". I am sure you know what I am talking about - "Pick up your jacket", "Go put your coat in your locker", "EVERYONE MUST BE WEARING A COAT TO GO OUTSIDE TO RECESS", or from the students themselves; "Can I go look in the lost and found for my jacket?" or "I LEFT MY JACKET ON THE PLAYGROUND!"....anyways you get the point. Coats are taking over the school! So they have taken over Day 7 of Jingle Jams as well.
Day #8 - Christmas in Hollis (A.K.A Christmas in Sweats)
Our principal is basically the greatest. She has presented the staff at our at school with the "12 Days of Christmas". Each day the staff gets to participate in something to make these last couple weeks enjoyable. This week we got to leave campus during planning to grab coffee with our teams, and got to enjoy a luncheon provided by our amazing PTA. To top it off our principal is letting us wear sweats and warm-up suits to work all week. I am comfy and happy and pumped up enough to make this next Jingle Jam! It may be favorite so far...
Day #9 - The Reindeers
The making of this video was quite the ordeal. After parading through the school to execute our idea, the video was somehow deleted! During my planning time we frantically recreated our idea. It was really fun getting to participate in portraying the different attitudes seen around the school. From running in the gym, to walking in line like a first grader, to spraying the germs away with high powered cleaners, I think we captured the essence of an elementary school this time of year... complete with the cold red noses of carpool duty!!
Day #10- Santa Can You Hear Me?
Remember when I said we weren't crazy enough to meet up on the weekends to film these Jingle Jams? Yup..... I spoke too soon! We teamed up with our other crazy Jam Queen, Nora, and hit the mall. With the Christmas decor and the hustle and bustle of busy shoppers, it was quite the place to find good "sets" for our videos. This is one of my favorites from the day. We threw this together on our way out of the mall as we passed through Macy's to get to our car. We found inspiration in the pretty red ribbons hanging from the ceiling and it just so happened that a Santa mailbox station was set up right next to us when inspiration struck!
Day #12 - I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas
Our video idea for day 12 had to change on the spot when our original song idea would not download correctly. We quickly threw together this beauty, and it turned out to be one of my favorites! It's all fun and games with this one!!
Day #13 - Let it Snow
A teacher's prayer - give us a day off! While there is no snow in the forecast here in Texas, (high's in the 60's of course!) it was fun to show the craziness of the classroom right before the holidays. The chit chatting and tattling "doesn't show signs of stopping", the stress is driving teachers to frantically prepare junk food for consumption (maybe burning the popcorn in the hasty process - letting the WHOLE school know), the "lights are turned way down low" in efforts to quiet the craziness, and some may even find themselves curled up in a ball just waiting for the chaos to stop! (just kidding) Another fun one to create!
Day #14 - Little Drummer Girls
Day #15 - Reindeer on that Beat
the TZ anthem challenge is sweeping the nation as people put their own spin on this popular dance. All the hype got my teaching buddies and I talking, and what started as a joke ballooned into the amazingness that you will witness below. (Ok I may be biased, but we really went all out!) in true "Kimmie and Tracy fashion" we changed the words to the song to be more appropriate for our audience's little ears - and recorded our rap through a very professional set up in Tracy's office (ha. Not. We used our iPhones.) After showing our recording to the principal and office staff, they were hooked and wanted to get in on the fun. Four orders of red glitter pants later, I bring you "Reindeer on That Beat"!
Day #16 - Silent Night (for teachers everywhere!)
The last day of school before Winter Break is a blur of chaos that is over in the blink of an eye. Wrapping paper flying, candy crazed children bouncing off the walls, and parents crowding the hallways, it is always a crazy mess of fun! The day is over at noon for us, and after the children are shuffled their separate ways, the school building is left as a quiet haven for all of the teachers. You can almost here a sigh of relief in unison as we make our way back to our classrooms to dispose of the last remains of the holiday hurricane that hit our classrooms!
Day #17 - It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas
Now that school is out - it's time to focus on real life! Oh yeah, I have family members and friends to buy presents for! As we hit the mall to fill our shopping bags and empty our bank accounts, we realize that it really is finally beginning to look like Christmas!
