May has officially begun, which means it’s time for me to share my favorites from last month. I have quite the variety, from music education podcasts to the furry fox family that’s moved in behind our apartment.
FOX FAMILY
When I first spotted the red fox out back, I couldn’t figure out what the little grey creatures were next to her. I thought they might be opossums. In my defense, I had NO idea that fox kits started out grey before changing to orange. Here’s one of the earlier videos for reference. At about the 4:50 mark, you’ll see them meet some deer for the first time.
I got our binoculars out for a closer look, and that’s when my face became permanently fixed with the heart-eye emoji. It was a mother fox with her four baby kits. My husband and I have been glued to the binoculars ever since. We’ve also gained permission from the land-owners to record video of the fox family, which means that this next video is much better quality.
Don’t watch this on your phone. Their furry, little faces deserve a larger screen.
You can follow my husband’s channel for future fox videos. We have an adorable one of the kits cuddling that we hope to publish soon!
TIMER CUBES
I first fell in love with these Datexx Miracle Timer Cubes back in 2016, when I featured them in a favorites post. Since then, I continue to use them daily. I would highly recommend them to teachers or anyone who works from home (like me).
At home, I use them to help with my productivity. I have a stand/sit desk, so I set the timer for 20 minutes each time to be sure that I don’t stand or sit for too long.
When our nephews visit, we use the timers a lot for games and household tasks. This way, the nephews can’t argue about one of them having more computer time than the other. And when we all share in the work of cleaning up after supper, it helps to keep them on track. The sooner we all finish our tasks, the sooner we can go back to playing.
We’ve done it often enough now, that the boys fetch the timer and set it on their own now. They like the structure, and so do we.
FOLDING STEP STOOL
I wish I would’ve had this handy tool when I was still teaching. I could’ve used it to hang posters, fix interactive whiteboard bulbs, or use it as a traveling seat for circle games. It folds up easily and takes up very little room. We found ours at Meijer, but they sell them on Amazon HERE.
FEIERABEND PODCAST
As a Feierabend Fan, I continue to enjoy listening to their new podcast: The Tuneful, Beatful, Artful Music Teacher.
The first several episodes are fantastic at providing a broad overview of First Steps, Conversational Solfege, and the Feierabend “Non-Negotiables”.
ELIZABETH’S DANCE PLAYLIST
Research shows that your musical taste depends largely on what you were surrounded with as a child. Due to that, my musical tastes tend to be rooted mostly in the “classic rock” of the 60’s and 70’s. Even in high school, when I should’ve been aware of the latest artists, I still had Dark Side of the Moon playing on repeat.
Because of this, I’m eternally grateful to Elizabeth from Organized Chaos Music, for featuring a classroom-friendly dance playlist every year. It reminds me to break past the musical bubble I live in, and experience what kids are listening to these days.
COUNTERS FOR COMPOSITION
I think these colored math counters would be amazing for composition. They come in a variety of colors that could easily be matched with Boomwhackers™. And since they’re made of plastic, they would be durable and easy to clean. You can view them HERE.
