Our Buddies

On Friday we read a part of a book titled "Thanksgiving" by Ann Heinrichs. We learned that the cornucopia is a Thanksgiving symbol to remind us of all we have to be thankful for. It is a food basket that is shaped like an animal's horn. It overflows with fruits and vegetables. We made our own cornucopias with our buddies. Happy Thanksgiving!

Giving Thanks on Day 60

Yesterday was the 60th day of school. Zero the Hero came by before changing his costume and becoming our Thanksgiving Turkey at our feast. He led us in the Turkey Tango. I cannot tell you how much fun we had and how nice it was to be together as a Kindergarten community. I was not in school yesterday morning, but was there in time for the feast. In the morning students listened to the book Feeling Thankful and had a discussion about what each of them is thankful for. They also completed a writing activity. I wish your family much peace over the Thanksgiving break.

super-awesome day

We had a super-awesome day. We started off our day with a trip to the library to make a wish list for the book fair. Then we went to an anti-bullying interactive presentation that was phenomenal. The performers were engaging and the students learned some strategies to help them stand up to bullies. Lunch was a Thanksgiving dinner and the rest of the day was spent getting ready for our Kindergarten Feast which happens tomorrow. In preparation for the feast we learned the Turkey Tango dance and made hats and collars similar to what Pilgrims may have worn. Our contribution to the feast is popcorn. Be sure to ask your child about our celebration. It is bound to be super-awesome just like they are :)

Windblown...

Where did all these pieces of paper come from? Who do they belong to? The chicken is sure that they belong to him, as does the fish, and the bird, and the snail, and the frog… Yesterday we read Windblown by Edouard Manceau. Using the same small scraps of paper over and over again, a new animal is blown onto each page by the wind. When the book was finished students created their own windblown object. They are hanging in our hallway. Be sure to check them out if you are in school. They are quite magnificent.

holiday cards, guidance class, browsing boxes

We were busy this week in Kindergarten. On Wednesday, Mrs. King came to our class to help us make holiday cards. The children really enjoyed helping to make the cards although some of the steps were tricky. Cards are on sale through Friday, November 22... Miss Patty Ransom came to our class on Thursday for a safety lesson. Please review the packet sent home... We finally broke out our browsing boxes! Browsing boxes hold books that students are interested in looking at and reading. Students went book shopping on Friday and chose 5 books they were interested in and 2 small readers. They were very careful in their selections, taking time to find a book they liked or wanted to "read" more about. The small readers are sight word books we've been practicing in class over the last several weeks. Students are excited for Readers' Workshop on Monday and while they are reading from their browsing boxes, I will be able to read and conference with individual students. I am excited for Readers' Workshop too... Have a happy weekend!

3-D Shapes Song

Mrs. Chase shared the following link with us. Our students LOVE this song and will know 3-D shapes names in no time at all. I told them I would share it with you so that maybe they could access it from home. You will need to copy and paste it in your browser. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9L9l86N-xM

Healthy Snack

Last week we started having a healthy snack delivered to our class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays as part of a fresh foods grant. Students are able to try fruits and vegetables of different varieties. So far we have had apples, oranges, grapes, salsa & chips, pineapple, and carrots. Many students are trying foods even if they think they might not like it. I am collecting data as to how many students try the foods and if they like it or not. The day we had salsa was especially fun as we tried to guess the different foods it took to make it. I think my favorite was the pineapple. Have a happy weekend. A newsletter will go home on Monday.

Pics of 50

The pictures are loading sideways, but here they are...

Day 50!

Zero the Hero came by today to help us celebrate our 50th day in Kindergarten. It is hard to believe how time is flying by. Zero led us in counting to 50 by ones and tens. He then left us ten frames and Fruit Loops as our snack. We worked together as a class to show 50 on 5 ten frames. Students are beginning to think about how 50 can be 5 groups of ten. Students then were able to count out 50 Fruit Loops using individual ten frames. Ms. Ringer, Mrs. Phillips, and I were able to divide and conquer to hear each student count to 50 (some with support, some independent) by both ones and tens. I am continually impressed by your children and how much they have learned in a short period of time. I look forward to the next 50 days!

Hungry Caterpillar Game

At one of our math stations this week is a shapes game called Hungry Caterpillar. Students play with a partner to see who can fill three hexagons on their caterpillar first. Shapes used are triangles, rhombuses, and trapezoids. Rhombuses look like "diamonds", but can't be called that in math. Other math stations for the week are pattern block pictures, a cut and glue paper with numbers to 6 (i.e. I see 2 pies.), and a number sequencing game with clothespins... Letters this week are h, v, c, a; Sight word is "like". Review letters to date - s, m, r, t, b, n, h, v, c, a. We are working hard on letter formation. I am beginning to see an improvement in handwriting! Sight words to date - am, can, I, is, like, love, my, see, the, we. We are reading little books with these words.

Last Week

We had such busy days last week. The time sure is flying in Kindergarten. On Wednesday Mr. Nolan-Watkins came into class and read The Pumpkin Blanket. On Thursday we took the seeds out of our pumpkin, roasted them, and then counted the seeds before eating them. Most students tried the seeds and a few liked them :) Mrs. Patty Ransom also came to our class for Guidance on Thursday. Students participated in an activity about Friendship. I will post pictures from that lesson when the activity is complete. One way to support your child this week is in talking about the names of the 3-Dimensional shapes we are learning about - cone, cube, cyliner, and sphere. 3-D shapes are a harder concept to grasp and learning the shape names is helpful. Picture re-takes are on Tuesday. Please be sure to return the original pictures if your child is having a re-take.

Our Thinking - 3-D Shapes

We are continuing to talk about 3-Dimensional shapes and their attributes. We asked students what they thought they knew (chart), and sorted objects from home. Today we will make shapes out of playdough. Next week we will continue with 2 and 3 dimensional shapes as well review numbers 1-5 and beyond. Happy November!