Water Day

The weather here in North Florida gets hot pretty quickly.  A Water Day is a great way to cool off with fun activities and sweet treats to eat.  It's also a great celebration to end a fantastic school year.

This giant sprinkler ball was really neat

Kiddie pools galore.  I think we had seven!

"Painting" the windows and walls with water

Snow cones and watermelon....Yum!

Chipping away at ice molds to find the treasures inside

Enjoying Games with water balls

Good clean fun with shaving cream 

Mural Painting with tempra paint ice pops

High fives for an awesome school year!

Addition and Subtraction Stories

A few weeks ago my Kinders were busy working on learning the principles of addition and subtraction.  Our new Harcourt GoMath! curriculum emphasizes the use of pictures stories, which I absolutely love.  I partnered up my students and put them to work creating and solving their own. I was really pleased with what they produced and how cooperatively they worked together.

 

My Golly Goo Goo....A Top Five Award!

CaliforniaTeachingCredential.org

Thank you to Donna over at http://kinderglynn.blogspot.com/ for commenting on one of my recent posts.  She congratulated me on receiving an award from http://www.californiateachingcredential.org/kindergarten-teachers as being one of the top five out of the "50 Best Blogs Written by Kindergarten Teachers."  Donna's blog also received this award and I can see why.  Her blog is terrific!

I have to admit that this recognition could not have come at a better time.  The end of the school year is always a time of high energy and bittersweetness for me.  I am excited about summer, but hate saying goodbye to my Kinders. 

Getting this award gave a much needed "boost" when I was thinking that all I wanted to do for the next week or two is sit down and "roost!"

Summer Birthdays

Four years ago the parent of one of my Kinders had a great idea.  Her son's summer birthday would be held after the school year was over but he wanted so much to get to celebrate it at school.  His Mom asked if she could bring in pizza to for him and his classmates who also had summer birthdays. I added a cake to the menu and it was a party. And from this great idea was born a new tradition in my classroom. 

On Tuesday we honored my Kinders who have summer birthdays.  We sang the Happy Birthday song three times over and then enjoyed yummy treats.

I think this classroom tradition is so special to me because I was one of those kids who longed to celebrate my birthday at school.  How lucky I am to get to celebrate it now every year with my students.

"The Important Book"

One of my favorite authors of books for children is Margaret Wise Brown.  She is known for her classics, The Runaway Bunny, The Big Red Barn, The Golden Egg Book, and Goodnight Moon.

Every year I read Goodnight Moon to my Kinders on the last day of school.  Afterwards we take turns to tell someone or something in the classroom goodbye.  It is a gentle, soothing way to make the transition into summer break and the new learning adventures that are ahead of us.  This activity has become a tradition in my classroom and I look forward to it every year, even though it does bring about a tear or two.

Another book that I love is The Important Book.  I have found that it is a terrific source to use when teaching details in writing.  Recently I used it as a focus book for a week during my Language Arts instruction. We read the book each day to build familiarity with it. Next, we brainstormed together to think of details about common objects in the classrooom including a door, a window, and a block. When I felt the kids were ready, a gave them each a word wall card with a picture of an object on it.  They used a preprinted graphic organizer to brainstorm four details about their object.  They shared their organizers with the class and chose the detail they felt was the most important.  The next day they created a page to be included in our own Important Book that featured their object.  This was one of the best writing activities I have ever facilitated in my classroom and I can't wait to teach it again next year.

  

Book Buddies

For the past two years my class has been blessed to share the love of reading with buddies from Ms. Teuton and Mrs. DenBleyker's 3rd grade class.  Every Friday they come to visit and share classic fairy tales with my Kinders.  It is a wonderful time to watch relationships blossom and reading skills bloom.

A Personal Day...It's All About the Fairytale

Today I took a personal leave day to to be with my 17 year old daughter. There are not too many times since I have been teaching that I have taken a day...just because.  The reason?....The Royal Wedding. 

In 1981 I woke up before dawn to watch Charles and Di's wedding with my Daddy.  It was one of the neatest experiences we ever had together.  My Daddy has since passed, and I wanted to make this a tradition with my daughter.  So this morning  we got up before dawn and watched....and oohed and aahed and even shed a few tears of happiness and bittersweet memories of Princess Diana. It was the stuff fairytales are made of. It was wonderful. 

I captured the experience in a play-by-play of sorts.  And here it is.


3:30 am. Love the live trees lining the aisle of Westminster Abbey. Very "New York" looking I think.
3:30a.m. Hats galore as guests arrive. Note the difference between a hat and a "fascinator."
3:48a.m. They are not called chartered buses in London. They are "motor coaches" my dear.
4:00a.m. British commentator: "What a great day to be British." Anderson Cooper of CNN: "What a great day to be a Commoner."
4:05a.m. Chelsy Davy, longtime girlfriend of Prince Harry arrives.....in the door for "incidental guests." OUCH!
4:07a.m. About those "fascinators".....how do they stay perfectly balanced on one side of the head? Do you get a big time headache after an hour or two of wearing something on only one side of your head?
4:10 a.m. Anderson Cooper of CNN: "Do you have to keep referring to non Brits as Commoners." British commentator: "Yes."
4:13a.m. British commentator in the crowds ask a woman from Boston, USA what she was looking most forward to. She replies, "the Kiss, the Kiss!" Gotta love American honesty!
4:20a.m. David and Victoria Beckham arrive. They look beautiful. He is scrumptious and she is pregnant and radiant!
4:21a.m. Becca is awake and ready to watch with me.
4:22a.m. British commentator on Brits..."They love to party." Well now!
4:29a.m. Princess Diana's brother arrives. Remembering his speech at her funeral. Bittersweet.
4:35a.m. Mr. Bean arrives. Did I just hear the commentator say that he is a relative? Well now....Imagine having Mr. Bean as your cousin.
4:47a.m. Elton John and David Furnish arrive. I love the fact that even though the guests seated are well to do Brits, they still drop their jaws and ooh and ahh when he walks by.
4:50am. Just saw a woman arrive with a fascinator SO large with a large pokey stick thing. I think she just might hurt the persons seated on either side of her. Hope she sits still.
4:55a.m. Another shot of Elton John. It would be so tough to sit beside him at the wedding and keep myself quiet. The whole time I would be refraining myself from singing, "B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets" in his ear.
5:02a.m. I am currently fixed on ABC's coverage rather than CBS and NBC. There's something about Babawa Walters and Diane Sawyer together. Lovin' it.
5:04a.m. Prime Minister of England arrives with his wife. She is NOT wearing a hat or fascinator but a small comb. Very unique and pretty. Love that she is being different.
5:12a.m. Just spotted a woman in drag in Hyde Park. Love it!
5:13a.m. First glimpse of Wills and Harry leaving Clarence House in a Bentley. They look SO handsome in their uniforms. Prince William looks like the Prince in Cinderella. Just sayin!
5:19a.m. ABC commentator on the Princes Harry and Wills. "They truly are best friends."
5:20a.m. I love that William broke with tradition and had a "best man" instead of "a supporter." And that he is wallking down the aisle in Westminster with his brother.
5:25a.m. Prince Albert of Monaco and his fiance arrive. Wonder if she'll be taking notes during the ceremony for her future wedding this summer?
5:30a.m. Commentator just announced that many personal staff are invited as guests. Very cool considering that Wills and Kate were given an allotment of 150 personal guests each to invite. There are 1900 guests invited in all.
5:32a.m. Mother of the Bride arrives with Kate's brother. Her mother looks simple and elegant in a soft grey/blue.
5:37a.m. Close family of the Queen arrives. The Duchess of Kent looks beautiful. Her hat is so wide brimmed, though, that you cannot see her face. La de dah!
5:39a.m. Becca nods off.
5:42a.m. First glimpse of the Queen.....in bright sunny yellow. Very pretty.
5:44a.m. Prince Charles and Camilla arrive at Westminster. She looks...well...as good as she can. She is no Diana.
5:47a.m. Another glimpse of the Queen in her car. There is a blue blanket covering her legs. I love that she gets chilly while riding in a car....just like me!
5:49a.m. And the royal trumpets play as the Queen is announced in Westminster.
5:50a.m. Barbawa WaWa just mentions that the Queen owns some 5,000 hats. Thank you Babawa.
5:52a.m. First glimpse of Kate getting in the car. Lace bodice, flowing not poofy train. Her hair is down.
5:53a.m. Kate waves to the crowd from her car. Not a "screwing in a light bulb" wave, but a "hi, how are ya!" wave. I hope that never changes.
5:55a.m. Commentator just mentions that Kate wanted to wear her hair as she normally does so that Wills would recognize her. Is that sweet or what?
5:56a.m. Pippa arrives with the bridesmaids. She is gorgeous. The silhouette of her dress is amazing!
6:02a.m. Kate arrives at Westminster. Beautiful.
6:02a.m. Kate's father appears to say to her, "Are you alright?" I am tearing up right now.
6:04a.m. Wills and Harry walk into the ceremonial area. Harry hands off his program to a foreign person (shiek or sultan)? I wonder...was this planned or a quick discard? Insert chuckle.
6:08a.m. Shot of Harry looking back at Kate coming down the aisle. He looks at his brother and seems to say, "Wait til you see Katherine."
6:09a.m. Wills and Kate are side by side. William says to Kate, "You look beautiful."
6:10 a.m. A hymn is sung. Shot of Elton John singing...while reading the words. Love it!
6:13a.m. Ceremony begins. Missing Princess Di right now. How different would it be?
6:16a.m. Wills...."I will."
6:16a.m. Kate...."I will."
6:18a.m. Beautifully said vows. No blunders at all.
6:21a.m. Arch Bishop takes off his hat before praying. He forgot to shave and get a haircut.
6:23a.m. Random shot of Orlando, Florida. Little girls and their Moms at Disney's wedding pavilion watching the ceremony. Too cute!
6:27a.m. Kate's brother speaks. I think very reminscent of Princess Di's brother's speech at her funeral. I wonder if that was the intent. Very moving.
6:36a.m. Shot of the Queen. Is she sleeping or reading her program?
6:37a.m. Shot of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. Train wrecks of fashion...once again.
6:39a.m. A prayer is read that William and Kate composed together. Very simple. Speaks of humility and servitude.
6:45a.m. As each part of the ceremony is completed, you can now hear the crowds cheering outside Westminster Abbey.
6:49a.m. Random thought. I can't wait to see a side by side photo comparision of Kate with Princess Grace in their wedding gowns. I am thinking the look is very similar.
6:52a.m. And the trumpets sound! "God Save the Queen."
6:59a.m. Commentators explain that from now on Kate is curtesed to by everyone EXCEPT the Queen and Camilla, who are the only two women of higher royal status than her.
7:03a.m. Random thought. The little choir boys deserve MAJOR Happy Meals (or whatever they call them in England) for singing for such a long time. They ROCK!
7:05a.m. Down the aisle they come. They curtsey and bow to the Queen. Kate is so poised. I wonder how many Tylenol it took to get her that way?
7:08a.m. Harry and Kate's sister Pippa follow down the aisle smiling and chatting. Penny for those thoughts! They look like they could have some fun together!
7:09a.m. The bells of Westminster ring as they emerge from Westminster Abbey.
7:10a.m. Wills puts on his gloves before he helps her into the carriage. How princely!
7:19a.m. Harry riding in a carriage with the little attendants is absolutely adorable. He is such a rascal!
7:20a.m. Wills is smiling more broadly with every foot traveled by the carriage. It's that same dimpled smile he had as a little boy.
7:23a.m. Babawa Wawa: "Nobody does it like the British." I do wish America had just a little of a fairy tale like this. Maybe one day we will have another Camelot. . Until then we have our friends across the ocean to fulfill our fairytale dreams!

Oh The Things They Will Say...H-and

Today I was administering the phonemic awareness portion of FAIR (Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading) to one of my Kinders.  The objective of this particular assessment was to segment compound words, and onset and rimes.  For example, "Say cookbook without cook." and "Say pup without /p/." 

The assessment was going really well until my little friend became tired and bit bored with our learning game (as I like to call diagnostic assessments when I give them).  She began to wiggle and asked me when the game would be finished.  I held her off for a few more moments with a gentle smile and an encouraging nod, and then continued with more questions. 

But then I knew our time had definitely come to an end when I asked her the question, "Say hand without the /h/.  What do you have left?"

She paused reflectively, looked around, and then with a great big smile replied, "I know. Fingers!"

KinderGarden Kids

Through a grant from Lowe's, our school built potager gardens for each grade level to plant throughout the school year.  This past week, we planted herbs and spring annuals while learning about plants.

Checking out the potager gardens planted by

other grade levels at our school

Getting the soil ready to plant a Marigold.

It was a hot afternoon in the Florida sun.

Getting a cool drink from the sprinkler system was refreshing

Kindergarten kids growing in the garden.

Kindergarten kids growing in the sun.

The most important thing about a Kindergarten kid...

Each one grows to be a special one.

No one's like the other it's plain to see.
Each one's as different as you and me.
Their arms are open and their hearts are too.
Their always ready for a hug from you.

A Walk to Remember

Yesterday I took a very special walk in honor of one of my Kinders, Sydney.  I joined her wonderful family and my coworkers for a morning dedicated to finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, sponsored by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  I was so humbled and moved by the children, young adults, families, and health care providers who rallied together as a community for this event, which raised $42,000!

I knew right away that Sydney was pretty special when I met her last August.  She was diagnosed with Type 1 at 19 months of age, and since then has also been diagnosed with Celiacs Disease. She is so strong and so brave.  Her Mom, Amy, explained to me that kids with Type 1 (plus celiacs) have to grow up pretty fast in order to manage their conditions, which never take a recess, not even when they sleep. 

When I met her I didn't know anything about either disease, much less taking care of a student who has both.  I have to admit....I was a little scared. Thankfully, Sydney and her Mom have been very patient with me throughout this school year.  They taught me not only how to check Syd's glucose level, but how to work her Bolus wizard, how to calculate carbs, read the tellltale signs for lows and highs and what to do to correct them.  I also learned how to make gluten free brownies and cake, where to buy gluten free pasta for classroom projects, and how to make sure that Sydney's environment stays as uncontaminated as possible.

But being Sydney's teacher has taught me so much more.  Diabetes and Celiacs do not define Sydney.  Everyday she triumphs over her obstacles with strength and humor.  Instead of Sydney focusing on her own needs, she often seeks out others who need a little boost to help them to feel better about themselves.  She helped me to create a classroom atmosphere this year that embraced compassion, empathy, and care above all else.

I will always be thankful to Sydney for blessing me and my classroom this year. 

So the least I could do on a Saturday morning in April was to take a little walk for Sydney and pledge to do what I can to advocate for her and other students who come my way with Type 1. 

It was truly a walk to remember.

Sydney showing off her prize basket for having the largest team in the walk.

Members of our Kinder Cub teaching team with Sydney

Sydney and her wonderful Mom, Amy

"When you do nothing you feel overwhelmed and powerless.

But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment

that comes from knowing you are working to make things better"

*For more information about Type 1 Diabetes and what you can do to help, check out this link to the website for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF):  http://www.jdrf.org/