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