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new for us friday–guinea pigs

home / new for us friday / new for us friday–guinea pigs
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Today is our first full day of being pet owners!

Talk about something new on a Friday for our little familia! (Hopefully it won’t be a bust like last week’s NFUF!)

With a husband and daughter who are allergic to cats and with the craziness of having three kiddos in just about four years, we’ve put off getting a pet for obvious reasons (my sanity).

But our kids–I felt–needed some fuzz in their lives to teach them the responsibility of taking care of a living thing, to show them how fun pets can be, and to teach them how to act around other people’s pets.

So our turn came yesterday when we picked up Golden and Guinea, our two little girl guinea pigs!

  • Guinea Pig Pets: We went to visit our county animal rescue on Tuesday, and on that day we submitted our application for our furry friends. On Wednesday, thanks to some really awesome websites about guinea pig care, cages, health, and everything else guinea, we set up and created our cage and purchased supplies. On Thursday we picked up our babies. Today, we went through the motions of feeding, cleaning, and playing with Golden and Guinea.

We decided that according to whose day it is, that person will be the one who helps get fresh water and food and who helps mom or dad clean the cage. That person will also be the first to hold and pet one, too.

Today, before rest time, I also created these rules with the help of Maddy, Owen, and Cora so that my little ones are reminded of appropriate ways of interacting with our precious G & G. And–hey–I’ll admit it, I’m always looking for ways of sneaking in a little bit of learning in our days, so this chart won’t hurt with our early literacy skills either, right? The rule, next to a picture of it (or something similar), helps emerging readers to decode unfamiliar words.

Our Guinea Pig Rule chart which now hangs above G & G’s cage.

We even found a new life for our good ole Sensory Box that had been hanging out in our living room, sadly unused for the last few weeks. I think it’s much happier as a guinea pig hideaway. Or maybe not.

Golden is peeking through her new hideout.

Maddy’s feeding Guinea.

Tomorrow morning, we’re heading to the library to search for some good Guinea pig books. We only have a few Max and Mo books which feature hamsters as the main characters, which (I think) might be as close as we’ll get, but it’s worth a try. I see a new series in the making. . .

We’ll see how it goes. Our New for Us Fridays won’t get much more awesome than this, I fear. Maddy, Owen, and Cora are in heaven right now, and although I know the excitement will not last forever, it’s been fun for us today.

Welcome, Golden and Guinea, to the family!

Thanks for subscribing to teachmama! Have a good one!

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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This yearโ€™s registration deadline is approaching, but you still have time! 

What better way to get students to engage in civics and contribute to their communities? 

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Have you heard of The National Civics Bee? #ad 

The National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. 

Organized in partnership with The Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the competition in your community will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community, and to build greater trust in others and institutions. 

Learn how to bring The National Civics Bee to YOUR community now: https://teachmama.com/bring-the-national-civics-bee-to-your-community/

Iโ€™m thrilled to have partnered with @mom_select and @civicsbuzz for this exciting campaign! โ™ฅ๏ธ๐Ÿค๐Ÿ’™

#CivicsBuzz #middleschoolers #teachersofIG #communitypartners
View
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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
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How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia

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