Life according to Instagram, Week 4.

1. On Monday, my friend Maia brought me peanut butter honey BACON cookies! I loved them. And even more than the cookies, I love that I work with such thoughtful people!
2. When the forecast gives us highs in the fifties, our red Toms come out.

3. On Tuesday, we spent the afternoon exploring the New York City subways. The kids learned all about subway maps the day before, and worked together to plan our routes to several destinations. Before we got on our first train, we spent some time observing the Dekalb station.
4. The kids sketched the turnstiles, station booths, and Metrocard machines in their research notebooks.

5-8. Our main destination for our trip was the 14th Street/8th Avenue subway station. We spent an hour exploring Tom Otterness's Life Underground, one of my favorite public art displays in the city. We went on a sculpture scavenger hunt, and spotted over 100 figurines on the platforms. It was so fun to hear 26 kids shriek with joy every time they spotted a new bronze statue. I can't wait to visit Tom's studio with the kids next month! (Here are some pictures from my class's trip to the studio last year)

9. Fresh flowers make me so happy.
10. On Wednesday, my oh-so-reliable Q train broke down at 49th Street. I found myself racing through Times Square at 7:45 am, where it was surprisingly calm and quiet.

11. Another day, another fun field trip with my second grade friends!
12-14. My class spent the morning on Thursday in Grand Central admiring the architecture of the main concourse. After sketching, we ate lunch downstairs and talked to each other across the Whisper Wall before heading back to school.

15. It snowed twice this week in NYC. No snow stayed on the ground, but it was really pretty as it fell.
16. On Saturday, my friend Brianne and I hopped on a bus at Port Authority to Woodbury Common, the best outlet mall around. I scored some major deals at J Crew, Gap, Levi's, and Barney's, and can't wait to wear my new purchases in Florida next week!

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