Excitement is contagious!

Remember just a few days ago when I posted about how much I was dreading going back to school? Well, listen to this...
I went to a multi-age meeting with all of the other m-a teachers on the island just before winter break. And they told me all about these fabulous units that they do, so I decided I'd plan something similar, not knowing how it would work. So...my class is going on an imaginary field trip across the U.S. We're starting at the Statue of Liberty and ending up at Disneyland! They are totally excited! And that puts me in such a good mood!
You should have heard them as we pulled out notecards from the "luck bucket". Each card had the name of a state (they each got to choose 3 states that they'd like to visit and then I pulled out 10...so if 5 kids wanted to go to Wisconsin, Wisconsin went into the raffle 5 times) and the states that we pulled out of the bucket were the states that we are going to visit. Little did they know that I rigged the bucket so we would get to states in different parts of the U.S.! Anyway, they were screaming and buzzing and just so excited each time they pulled out a card, "Pack your bags, we're going to New Mexico!", "Watch out, Kansas, here we come!", etc. They're so excited...one girl who I absolutely love suggested that on the last day we're "in" each state, we dress up in clothes that we would really wear if we were there.
It's just so much fun... I can't believe I'm so excited about school and about this project!