Happy Holidays

We had a great day of giving and projects today. We got our tickets and bells ready and watched the Polar Express. We talked about giving and were very appreciative during our gift exchange. I love the excitement!

I also included the performance from the kindergarten group last night. The entire school's performances are also listed on the same YouTube page. (Click Here)

We hope everyone has a wonderful break and a happy New Year!

Gift Exchange

Concert Performance

The Day after a Tragedy

As parents, we know how we want to discuss and meet the needs of our own children at home after a tragedy. However, we are not with our children every hour of every day and we need to prepare them for all they will encounter. As I considered this, I realized that families may have a lot of questions about how their child's teacher will handle such a tragic event in school. Here is my response to families and how I will care for their children this week.

Hello families,

I have spent the weekend wondering how our day will start Monday morning. As I do that, I realize that families may wonder how such a horrible topic may be handled in the classroom. I wanted to completely shield my own children (Annabel and Gus) from this topic, but I realize that this is unrealistic. So, I spent some time this morning preparing them for what they might hear at school. Now I need to think about your children and my role in their lives. 

My plan when a tragic event occurs and is highly publicized is to play off the feelings of my kids. If they enter the room discussing the topic, that means there is no chance of being able to shield them from something that is inappropriate for their age. Thus, ignoring the issue is not a healthy option. Also, if nothing is mentioned by the children themselves, that doesn't mean it is not on their minds. I will ask indirect, open-ended questions to find the children's level of exposure (what did you do this weekend, anything interesting happen, did you see anything on tv). I feel that my role is to find what the children need from me, wether it is to answer questions truthfully or just reassure them that they are safe at school. Intimate details of the events will not be discussed, as I don't think that will help. 

In short, I will be there tomorrow to shield your child from topics that are not appropriate for their developmental age (to the best of my ability), answer any questions I can with truth (within reason), but mostly reassure them that they are safe and protected at school by adults that care very much for them. 

If you have anything to add (such as feelings your child is having, how much they know about the events, advice for me, etc), PLEASE respond. The more information I have, the better I will be able to care for your children tomorrow. 

Thanks so much for reading, and I am looking forward to a wonderful week full of fun and learning with your children. 

Randi

Share it Maybe Music Video!

After lots of hard work, our music video is complete. We worked with the other kindergarten classes and created a video that demonstrates how to be kind to others. We worked on writing lyrics, creating the scenarios, and finally filming. We look forward to sharing the video with the world!

The End of our Matter Unit

I am bummed that this unit is coming to a close. We had a great time and I loved watching the reactions of our children. We had some great conversations off camera that I think will stick with them.

Matter Experiments 4 and 5

Today, we started by mixing water and food coloring. Watching the swirls of color mix was a big hit with the kiddos! Then, they were able to mix their two primary colors together. We had learned long ago that mixing non-primary colors can give you some strange results.

For experiment five, we tried to blend oil into the mix. It did not like mixing with the water. The children liked seeing how the oil drifted back to the top of the bag. More successful experiments!

Matter, Experiments 2 and 3

Wow, those were cool! Many kiddos shared that comment today as we watched reactions when air and liquids run out of room. Air does take up space, and even though we cannot see it, it is there.

Have fun watching the additional two experiments from today:)

Matter Experiment One

Today, we started working on our 'matter' unit. We discussed solids, liquids, and gasses. We then discussed how liquids can change to solids or gasses. Today, we mixed vinegar and food coloring (because everything is more fun in color) and added some baking soda. The instant reaction got quite a reaction from the learners today!

I liked how it explodes. HJ
It was cool seeing the reaction. WD
I liked watching the bubbling part. NH
The bubbles were cool when they exploded. LL
I liked when it exploded. DS
Mixing the powder and the liquid turned into bubbles. BF
It was fun to watch and listen to the reaction. EG
It was fun watching it explode. LD
It was really cool. RN
I liked to mix them together. KC
I liked to watch the bubbles. LN
I liked the colors. AP
I liked to listen to the bubbles. LW
It was a lot of fun. NP

Our Number eBooks

The children worked very hard on their first, individual, eBook and I wanted to be sure that everyone was able to see that hard work. Here are the links to the wonderful creations that were put together in a relatively short amount of time.

We utilized the application My Story for this eBook. We are also using this for our portfolios.

Alexis
Bryce
Dillon
Eli
Hope
Kaden
Landen
Leslie
Lily
Logan
Neela
Noah
Odin
Reese
William

We are Thankful

Today, we read the story of how Thanksgiving began. Sarah Hale wrote several letters to the presidents of our country. All said no, that is until president Lincoln told her yes. If you are interested in seeing the story we read, check out the following link: True Story of Thanksgiving.

We compiled our reasons for being thankful today. First, we wrote in our journals and discussed our answers with our friends. We then put them together in a video. We hope you enjoy our video, we are thankful.

Election Day!

It is time to vote. We spent part of the morning talking about elections, voting, and how/why people do this in our country. We used a website to talk more about the presidential nominees.

The kids were then able to join BES and vote for their choice. We went to our library and voted on iPads. Here is the site we used to vote:

We will find out the results tomorrow. We were able to study the candidates, make a choice, vote, and either share our choice with others or choose to keep it private. It was a fun day!

Waiting in line to register

Registering by signing our names

Placing our votes

Painting Pumpkins!

Well, they are not pumpkins, but close enough. When we started our pumpkin unit, the kids mentioned that they would really like to paint pumpkins. I had nearly 100 gords from my garden to use up, so this was a perfect opportunity. The kids voted, and chose to paint and glitter their pumpkins.

We posted these, and several other pictures/videos, on the Shutterfly site as well. Be sure to check it out!

For our Friends!

Today, we viewed the blog of our friends in Canada,

Mrs. Fennemore's Kinderkids

They had shared some wonderful pictures as well as a video of a poem they had recorded. It provided the kids with a little inspiration, and we decided to make a video of our own. 

We started by discussing the concept of a stage. There wasn't enough time to build an entire stage, so we settled on a mural for the background. It took a lot of teamwork to pull that together, as the paper was about 20 feet long. 

After some decorating, we practiced and recorded our favorite pumpkin poem, "Five Little Pumpkins". We hope our friends in Mrs. Fennemore's class enjoy!

Pumpkin Patches and Numbers

This week, we have been talking about pumpkins. We started by watching "How Pumpkins Grow". We made pumpkin people and painted pumpkins with different faces.

The story of Spookley the Square Pumpkin was fun to read and watch online.

The kids created their own pumpkin patches and wrote the words, "My pumpkins are ____". There were square, rectangle, purple, blue, circle, scared, and silly pumpkins in our class.

We also worked on writing our numbers to 10. We used paper and our iPads (The Handwriting Without Tears app) to practice. When writing numbers, we need to start at the top and move to the right. Numbers are important because we use them every day.

Bats and Spiders!

We have spent the week discussing bats and spiders. We found that many of us do not like these animals. However, we did learn that there are some good things about them. During our internet searches, book reads, and discussions, this is what we learned:

• Bats are not birds (LN)
• Bats can fly (LD)
• Bats eat bugs (BF)
• Bats stay away from people (LL)
• Bats are the only flying mammal (DS)
• Bats can hang upside down (OW)
• Bats are not flying rats (NH)
• Bats can fly into houses (RN)
• Spiders hide from people (KC)
• Bats do not drink human blood (EG)
• There are more than a thousand different kinds of bats (HJ)
• Spiders and bats are afraid of us (AP)
• Some spiders can be nice (LN)
• Some spiders hibernate in the Winter (LL)
• Some spiders hide in houses (LN)
• Spiders have 8 legs (all of us)
• Bats can climb because of their 8 legs (OW)
• I like bats and spiders (LW)

The kids then created a crayon/watercolor contrast of bats and spiders at night. The kids made this a great unit. We can't wait to discuss and explore pumpkins next week!

Fire Fighters Rock!

We had a wonderful time at the Barnum Firehall today. The fire fighters showed us the gear, trucks, and shared fire safety trips. The kiddos shared several tips with them as well.

Below are a few pictures of our trip as well as our fire safety video. The kids each shared one tip. They were a little shy in front of the camera, but I am sure they will get more comfortable as the year goes on. Be sure to check your smoke alarms this week! 

Fire Safety!

We will spend some time this week discussing fire safety. Today, we opened the unit with some smart tips from our very knowledgeable class. A few tips children shared today were:

• Do not play near fire (especially camp fires)
• Stop drop and roll if your clothes catch fire
• Call 911 or tell a grownup if you see a "bad" fire
• Some fires are okay, but you still need to be careful

We will be reading several fire stories, watching some fire safety videos (featuring firefighters and Smokey the Bear), and creating fire safety videos to share online. We will end the week with a trip to our local firehall to learn from the experts. It should be fun!

Our new hats and firefighter poses!

We Love our Grandparents!

We are celebrating our grandparents this week. The students will be discussing favorite activities to share with family as well as how a substitute grandparent can be fun to have too. Grandparent's day is this Friday, and we will be performing songs about our grandparents. Please have your kiddo bring a hat to wear (any hat will do). For the last few days, we have been working on pictures of our grandparents. The answer to the question, "what does a grandparent look like" opens up a great discussion!

E.G.'s grandparent portraits

Sixth Grade Pals

We were fortunate today to have the sixth grade class come down and help us with a Fall project. About once each month, we will join together with our "pals" and read, create art, and practice our kindergarten skills. The kids really enjoyed having them here and the projects are beautiful!

This year, the kids will not have an assigned pal. They will meet with a different pal each month. Thanks to the sixth grade for being so kind and patient with us today!

Apples Galore!

We have worked through our apples unit and had some observations to share:

• Different apples have different flavors
• The inside of an apple holds the seeds
• Apples turn brown when in the open air
• Applesauce is easier to make with soft, cooked, apples

We are now looking forward to our Fall unit. The kids have some great ideas on projects for next week. If they would like to bring in some leaves to show the class and use for projects, they are more than welcome.

Have a great weekend!

Our Day to Day

I have had a few families ask about our daily schedule. Below is our schedule chart and descriptions.

• Morning Meeting: Attendance, calendar, group discussion on our day and what the kids would like to do today.
• Reading: Whole group story and exploration of reading topics (such as author studies, reading strategies, etc)
• Guided Reading: Individual or small group practice as well as opportunities to work with the teacher on skills at child's level.
• Math: Whole group math exploration of topics and creation of math projects.
• Guided Math: Individual or small group practice as well as opportunities to work with the teacher on skills at child's level.
• Read to Self: Independent reading of books
• Recess and Lunch
• Story
• Writing: Open writing time for students to use skills they have learned
• Unit: Exploration of social and science concepts
• Gym, Music, Library
• Playtime: Social skills and open choice activities

The frogs in our schedule are open snack times. The kids are allowed to grab their snack while they work if they are hungry. I do not like to have a formal snack time, because most children are not hungry at the same time. I want the kids to listen to their stomachs and not the schedule.

Please let me know if you have questions about our schedule. This schedule is a general idea as to what our day looks like, and sometimes, we may toss it out the window if we have a wonderful project. The kids also come up with some great ideas on ways to explore a topic, and I always make room on the schedule for those opportunities.

Randi

Apple Tasting Day!

We tried three different types of apples today: Pink, green, and red. The discussion around our apples was very difficult to understand, as they were chewing and describing at the same time. But, we did come to the realization that the Granny Smith's were a little more sour than the other apples. The pink apples were a little softer. After a close vote, the pink apple was the ultimate winner of our taste test.

We discussed rhyming words today with the song "Down by the Bay". The kids could choose to practice rhyming with their iPad application, or rhyming cards.

Shapes was our topic during math today. The children found shapes all over the room and began working on a shape book.

We watched a presentation this morning on how to be above the line at school. The teachers had some very good examples of above and below the line behaviors. The kids knew the safest way to move around the school and the most respectful way to talk to each other.

Have a great day!

The Week is at an End

One more week down at BES. It feels like these kiddos have been in school for weeks already; they have the routines down and are working together beautifully!

We will start some new units next week. We will be exploring shapes, rhyming, and apples. These are fun, and sometimes messy, projects. Feel free to check the Symbaloo pages or the Weebly pages for each unit to view our videos and links.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Randi

Symbaloo
Weebly

Good ideas!

One of the best parts of playtime is watching what the kids come up with. Today, a few students started setting up animal pens using blocks. The little animals were penned up for safety purposes, as they didn't want the dinosaurs to eat the other animals. Before you knew it, half the class lined up on the counter to do the same. I love kindergarten!

We are working through some initial reading and math testing this week. We are exploring colors, letters, and writing in our journals as well.

I am looking forward to sharing some of our around the world projects with the kids today. Our first group of buddies are from Ontario, Vermont, and Texas. We will share postcards, emails, and possibly Tweets with these students.

Have a great day!
Randi

Letters, Listening, and Lockdowns

These kiddos are quick! We started talking about letters today and the places we see letters. The children are noticing that we have upper and lowercase letters and they are writing some of them in their journals. We will start more formal letter activities in guided reading in a week or so.

We are practicing our listening, both for times when an adult is talking as well as when a friend is sharing. We discussed the importance of listening ears, eyes, and bodies. The ability to listen is a difficult skill but these kiddos are doing a great job.

The school had a lockdown practice this afternoon. The idea is to prepare students to stay in a classroom with a locked door. Sometimes, we cannot go in the hallway for a medical reason as well as safety reasons. I do not feel our children need a big explanation as I do not want them worrying about something that will probably never happen. So, we discussed safety and how if there is a medical emergency in the hallway, we do not want to get in the way. We locked the door and stayed in our room for about five minutes. We also played hide and seek from the principal and talked about how if we don't want him to hear us we must be very quiet. I personally feel that this is enough information. If you would like more explained to your child, please let me know. I do not want your child to feel unsafe at school.

Have a great day!

A Bit of Our Day

Today, I thought I would post a few snippets of our day. We are spending a lot of time talking about teamwork, sharing, and other respectful behaviors. Playtime is hard work, as we practice these skills repeatedly each day:

Sharing during math (colors)

Taking turns during choice

Working together during playtime

We created a 'doll' of ourselves using paper and yarn today. The kids were excited to bring those home and share with families. Our fingers were working hard to color, cut, and glue during this project. Cutting yarn can be tricky.

The kiddos did some great journal writing today. Each child chose to add letters to their pages. Some children are listening to sounds and others are choosing their favorite letters to add to a page. The pictures they are drawing are very detailed. 

Great job kindergarten! 

Monday:)

The children jumped into their routine so quickly this morning, I actually questioned if it was the second week of school! The kids came in, put away their materials, and made choices on the Smartboard for lunch and milk.

Today, we began discussing letters. We practiced writing a few on our iPads. We talked about how they can use letters in their journals when they are ready. If you have an iPad, we used the "Handwriting without Tears" app.

The children visited the library today and discovered that there are lots of interesting books in the room. They also met Walter, the library mascot.

I look forward to each day with these kids. What a fabulous group!

Randi

The First Week Flew By!

I cannot believe we already have one week under our belts. How time flies when you are having fun!
Looking towards next week, we are busy busy. We will begin some assessments during reading and math (so I can find the students' strengths and needs). We will also build some rhyming skills to prepare us for the reading activities we will practice this year (plus it is fun).

Please call or email with questions when they arise. I do not look at questions or requests as a bothersome task. I look at them as wonderful opportunities to get to know families as well as support a strong home-school relationship.

The cameras on our iPads were a lot of fun to explore today. We will begin documenting our learning in the next few weeks.

Thanks so much for sharing your child with me this week and I look forward to many more wonderful weeks!

Video on location words we viewed today:

What a Great Day!

The kids did a fabulous job jumping into the routine today. We explored the room further today and tried some center activities. We also took several opportunities to "Dance with Ants in our Pants".

I have been asked about our iPads and wanted to clarify a few things. The children will use their iPads during some of our work times when the camera or apps are beneficial. However, we will not use them every day as sometimes exploring objects in the 'real world' is exactly what we need. The children are allowed ten minutes each day to explore how they like on their iPad. The rest of their playtime is for socializing and creating. 

I will not send iPads home without your permission. I don't even know if this will happen! I feel the children need time with their families and time to play outside and enjoy being a child. 

Any questions, please get in touch!

Randi

Woo hoo! What a great day!

The kids did a wonderful job today. We read books, sang songs, and had plenty of time to just play and get to know each other. We also had a quick introduction to our iPads and toured the building.

I was very impressed with the kiddos and their knowledge of how to be above the line at school. Every child understood how to be responsible, respectful, and safe. I am very proud of their work today.

We checked out a few movement videos online. Feel free to follow the link below. The kids seem to like Sid and Ants in your pants.

Have a great evening!
Randi

Videos from today
http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/respectresponsiblesafe

 Kids enjoying a little journal time before gym and music. 

The Night Before Kindergarten

Hello families,

I apologize for changing blog formats on short notice. One option that was not able within our previous blog was subscribing. This way, you can receive the updates automatically via email by using the links on the left. You will not need to navigate to this site for our updates, saving you a few steps!

We will hopefully blog tomorrow with updates. I am excited to see the kids in the morning!

Randi