T is for.......a Terrific Time with our Teddies!

Celebrating the letter T is a terrific tradition in KG at our school.  We read "The Terrible Tiger" by Joy Cowley.  We make tiger puppets.  We recite the classic rhyme "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear."  And we always end the week by bringing our teddy bears to school .  I like to refer to it as a "furry show and tell" that lasts all day long.  And if the kids don't have a teddy bear?  No worries....a stuffed racoon, bunny, dog, or even a turtle will do just fine!

We read with our teddy bears inside our new learning box



We included them in our block play

We enjoyed a teddy bear tea party...



 

where our furry friends were our special guests
  



and the simple joy of bonding with a new friend
over a favorite toy are realized

Who's Having Fun Learning?.......EveryBODY!



Our classroom was full of energy as we learned about the human body this week. One of our favorite activities was to work in cooperative groups to create body tracings. 



In one group E. was a tracer and K. was a model.





Another fun job was to label the body parts from head to toe.




Adding internal organs was a important task in the groups



We learned that sometimes its a good idea to check out a bigger model

or an available reference

or even to place a part on our own body to make sure
we were on the right track

 After the organs were placed, more details were added to the bodies.
Check out the veins in this circulatory system!

Oh The Things They Will Say.....We Are One

Today we were preparing to make the transition to the cafeteria for lunch. As I directed my students to line up at the door E. spontaneously announced, "I know my lunch number! I know my lunch number! I know my lunch number!" E. has done this every single day at this time for the last 3 weeks. I felt it was time to gently explain that although I was very proud of him for learning his lunch number, it was not necessary for him to loudly announce it to the class before lunch every day. 

Upon hearing this a very emphathetic K. consoled E. by saying "It's ok, we are one," and added the sign language gesture for the word "together."

As if on perfect cue, up popped C. who pointed his finger in the air like a proud politician and proclaimed, "And God Bless America!"

I do believe my recent lessons on classroom unity did not fall on deaf ears after all.

Oh The Things They Will Say.....Laminate It!

Today I was performing (and I use that term literally) reading diagnostics on my young students.  One part  involved reading aloud a short passage and then asking questions to assess oral comprehension.  It was E.'s turn and he sat eagerly in the chair and listened intently as I told him the story of a little boy who draws very well . So well that his teacher shows his drawings to his class at school.  The story goes on to reveal that he makes a special card and breakfast for his Mom and presents it to her on Mother's Day.

One of the comprehension questions asked what the little boy's teacher did with his drawings at school.  The correct response being that she showed his drawings to the class at school. 

E.'s response?...........she laminated them.  Gotta love this kid!

S is for Silly....Silly Learning Fun

What a silly week!  Did you know that it is impossible to be silly and sad at the same time?  We practiced and practiced being silly all week and here are some highlights.

S. practiced cutting skills and created a really silly snake.

J. thought it was pretty silly when he stood in a chair to count the cubes on his tower.

We read "Silly Sally" by Audrey Wood and then practiced walking backwards upside down.

We explored our sense of touch by feeling silly substances.

We explored our sense of taste by sampling sweet, salty and sour substances...

and discovered that the taste of sour limes creates the silliest faces!

Oh The Things They Will Say.....Today I Met Water

Today one of my students came to me after we returned to the classroom from PE and said, "Mrs. Pearce, I just met water."  I was immediately fascinated and promptly replied, "You did!  What did you say to water when you met it?"  She thought for a brief moment and exclaimed, "Well...I said water I love you!"

I think PE in the hot Florida sun made her a little delirious.  I decided she needed more hydration and sent her back to the water fountain so that I could laugh hysterically without her watching!

M is for Moments....Moments of Learning Magic

We had a marvelous week in school.  We celebrated all things Mm and we learned about making new friends and becoming a classroom family. 

We read "The Crayon Box That Talked" by Shane DeRolf

After reading the story we created cooperative art murals like this...

and this.

Our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Kelley, stopped by to read "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"  by Laura Numeroff

and then she served chocolate chip cookies and milk
(gluten-free and lovingly baked by S.'s Mom)



It was fun to observe the kids enjoying their cookies. 

J. liked to break his cookie into many scrumptious pieces.

While K.  liked to dunk hers.

Nutritious meals were prepared by I.

T. constructed a castle perfect for a princess.

And A. shared a moment of complete Kindergarten joy.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom....Fun In Our Classrom

Today ended our first full week of the new school year. Our Kindergarten team at Crawfordville Elementary officially refers to it as "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" week.  We spent lots of time celebrating this classic children's book and here are some photo highlights.

We created all kinds of  Chicka trees. 

Some with our names and others that sorted upper and lower letters. 

Tasting coconut milk sure is yummy!

Looking for just the right letter stickers to add to a tree is important work.

Sharing a finished work of art with a friend.

Our edible Chicka Chicka tree. Colorful, healthy and gluten-free.

A hug and a smile to end our first week of the school year.

Calendar Routine....Mighty Magical Stuff!

Today was our fourth full day of school.  Our classroom routines and rituals are beginning to come together nicely. I was reminded today how much I love Calendar time. I think it is one of the most meaningful classroom routines in our Kindergarten day. It encompasses Math, Reading, Writing, Science, and Social Studies.  It evolves throughout the year as my students' skill levels build, but also offers repetitive learning which is so good for my younger learners. It is amazing to watch my little ones master Calendar so well that they can actually lead it with just my minimal guidance. To watch a group of 5 and 6 year olds facilitate their own learning is some mighty magical learning stuff!

My Classroom Calendar Wall on the 1st Day of School

Highlights from the First 1.5 Days of the School Year

It's official!  I am the teacher of 18 adorable Kindergarteners.  I imagined them as soon as I saw their names on my roster and my imagination did not let me down one bit!  I have only had a school day and a half with them so far....but I can already tell it is going to be a great year.  Here are some memorable highlights.

• During center time, some of my new friends opened up a restaurant in the Dramatic Play center on the first day.  I even had one student who carefully sorted and "washed" plastic vegetables before cooking and serving. I was quite impressed.
• During story time, they listened contently to "The Kissing Hand" and predictably giggled at the part when Chester's Mom kisses his palm.  They liked the story so much that I read its sequel "A Pocketful of Kisses" too.
• I incorporated a tour of the school based upon "The Kissing Hand" story.  I placed heart die cuts around the school and we went on a special search for them. No hearts were left undiscovered.  Including those on one friend's shirt and belt!
• At calendar time, they loved the new days and months song that I chose for this year by Busy Beavers.  I featured this song on an earlier post.
• They caught on quickly to our new classroom rules.  The rules are positive affirmations based on  Dr. Jean Feldman's "The Rules of the Classroom."  I incorporated her recording of the song with gesture commands from Whole Brain Teaching. It was terrific.  I think the kids will remember the rules fluently by Labor Day!
• After introducing our "Feel Good Basket," which is based upon the research of  Dr. Becky Bailey who wrote "Conscious Discipline,"  they utilized it!  I was amazed when one friend recognized that his seat mate was a little sad, so he fetched our stuffed Chester from the basket and brought it to his new friend for comfort.
• I added a new book for the first day of school, "Kindergarten Rocks."  The kids were very inquisitive about the term "custodian" that is featured in the story and were delighted to get to meet Mr. Kenny, our classroom custodian, in person.  I love it when unexpected moments like that happen!
• And finally (and most importantly on the first 1.5 days of school) everyone left on Friday with smiles on their faces and made it home safely for the weekend.