Word Work!

We have enough words were we can make simple sentences!  I grabbed some words off of the board, formed a sentence, and the students had to finish the sentence with words of their choice.  What a great activity for oral language, reading, and writing!  You can do this at home, too!  

MLK Day

On Monday, we learned about Martin Luther King, Jr!  We read a Weekly Reader, watched a short video, and watched a 2 minute clip of his "I Have A Dream" speech. I also set up centers to get a "kindergarten perspective" about what segregation and exclusion was like.  Don't worry, it only lasted 5 minutes-- but it may have seemed like an eternity for some munchkins!

The centers were fun, and exciting, but only certain people were allowed to play.  In the picture above, the sign says "white socks only.  No colors allowed." I was extra picky, too! Only one child was allowed to decorate a cupcake... 

After a couple minutes, and a few tears later, I pulled the kids to the rug and asked how they felt about not being allowed to play because of their socks, or being a boy, or being a girl, or not wearing jeans.  The class decided that it was silly and not fair.  After we read a book about MLK and Rosa Parks, I decided to tear down the signs so we all could participate in fun play and cup cake decorating!  THE CLASS CHEERED!!!

Although it was a tough 5 minutes of "segregation", I wanted to class to get a small glimpse into what was a reality not-so-long ago.  I was also age-appropriately honest with them on MLK's death, after the question came up in class.  Curiosity is the spice of kindergarten!! 

Melt an Ice Cube

Today for kindergarten time, we conducted an experiment-- what will melt an ice cube faster?  Each child got an ice cube, and used the dice to determine how they would melt the ice cube:

 

It was fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 



The snow has arrived!

In kindergarten, we will be talking about Winter-- so far, we have studied what animals do in the winter and we have compared and contrasted Jan Brett books.  Please take a peek at the pictures below and have your child elaborate any details!

After reading The Mitten by Jan Brett, we made a retelling bag.  First, we practiced retelling the story whole group, then we practiced with a partner.  It was fun to "hybernate" too!

We also enjoyed playing Snowman Squeeze!  The number line will come home by Friday... have fun playing with your child!

 

 

 

Merry Christmas!

We have had so much fun this holiday season!  I am sorry to say that I don't have many pictures to show you, but some memories are best made without an iPad in my hands.  I will do my best to give you a the gist, but please have your child fill in the blanks!  

After comparing and contrasting all different kids of Gingerbread stories, we decided it was time to make gingerbread men!  We mixed all of the ingredients, we put them in the oven, and when I went to get them... THEY WERE GONE!!  We followed clues, and finally tracked them to the office.  Luckily, Mrs. Thelen was quicker than them!  She captured them, and we made sure to eat them right away.

We also had Polar Express day!  We all got to wear our pajamas, then we boarded our own Polar Express.  We visited a literacy center (Reindeer Food), a math center (roll-a-reindeer), and a social center (kids made a snowman snack).  We ended our Polar Express day with bells from the North Pole!  The bells were FREEZING!!  They must have just arrived :)

The parents put on a spectacular Christmas party!  The kids had pizza, decorated a cookie, played bingo (and won some cool prizes!), and took home a goodie bag.  THANK YOU PARENTS!

Mrs. Shira and Mrs. Stevenson made Playdoh for the kids as a Christmas present!  You'll find the recipe below on a previous post.  

Plannig Folders!

Now that we have a good routine and structure during our center time, I decided it was time to introduce the planning folder!  We will continue to learn how to use them to make choices during our Daily 5 literacy block.  The process is student driven, and allows me more flexibility when working closely with your child.  Here's what it looks like:

It is color coordinated, and aligns with posters around our room. 

 A student will make a choice as to where they want to go for their MUST DOs (listen to a story, word work, work on writing, and work with the teacher).

When they are finished with their MUST DOs, the students can look at their planning folder and make their own literacy choices.  So far, it is going well!  The routine and independence will be hammered until it's just right!

Here are some photos of students independently making choices, working the whole time, and doing their very best:

Listen to a Story-- Thank you REF and Belmont PTO for granting me the monies to purchase a listening center and audio books!

Work with the Teacher: Elkonin Boxes

Work on Writing: making thank you cards for the REF

Word Work:

Making Choices:

Read the Room

Book shopping and read to self

Puzzles- they just finished a 100 piece puzzle using teamwork!

Math "go" tubs

Playdoh Recipe!

The kids just LOVE the new playdoh I made.  It is so simple and cheap, so I thought I would pass it along to all of you.  I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course!) and you can add ingredients to make it your own.  You will need:

PLAYDOH BASE
A medium size sauce pan
A spoon (I use a small wooden spoon, but a large soup spoon will do just fine)
1 cup of flour
1/4 cup salt
1 teaspoon of Crème of tartar
1/2 tablespoon of oil (veg works best!)
1 cup water

ADD THESE INGREDIENTS TO MAKE...

Candy Cane Playdoh: 

           1 teaspoon peppermint extract
            white glitter (optional)
           A couple drops of red food coloring for half the dough (optional)
Gingerbread Playdoh:
           1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
           1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
           brown glitter (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Over medium high heat, pour all of the dry ingredients (flour, crème of tartar, salt) in the sauce pan and mix to combine.
2. Add wet ingredients (oil, water, food coloring)
3. Stir with spoon until all the ingredients start to come together.  This may take a few minutes!  It will look like a gooey mess at first-- keep stirring!
4. Remove from the heat and take dough out of the pan. 
5. Knead until playdoh consistency.  Fold in glitter and continue to knead.
6. VOILA!