All the Excitement Lands on One Day

On Wednesday we had our Book character dress-up day at school.  Students and teachers were told to dress up as a character from a book.  Most of the teachers obliged and pulled together eye catching costumes.

Unfortunately the photographer failed to get my entire outfit on the picture so you can't see the striped leggings and pink pig feet (pink slippers).  My ears only made it to first recess.  I took them since the headband was too tight and was causing a headache.
My students appeared as characters including Tom Sawyer, Anne of Green Gables, Mama Bear, a cowboy, Daniel Boone, Strawberry Shortcake, Laura and Mary Ingalls, Queen Esther, and Piglet.
You would think I would know that this was enough excitement for one day, but no, I didn't pay attention to that.  I also planned our class book sale for that day.  This was my motivation for good behavior plan that started when we returned to school in January.  Each day the students could earn up to 3 pennies for good behavior.  The pennies were saved for the book sale.  On Wednesday I brought in several boxes of used books I've collected in my many used book store trips.  I invited the mothers to come a bit before school ended to help with the choosing and sale of the books.  I believe the sale was a success.  The help of mothers certainly made the sale much easier for me.

Loaded book shelves before the start of the sale.

I have to say that this time of the year is my favorite.  Not because of the weather!  And not because of student motivation (which tends to be low at the end of winter)!  It's because the students are reading so well and that is so much fun.  They love to read and gobble up the new books I put out.  It's fun to put out new books and find they need more a few days later.  Right now I bring crates of books to our room from the school library.  In another month or two I'll have to go to the public library to keep up.