The Very Busy Kindergarteners

Back cover of a book, made out of glue and glitter.

Last week we talked about spiders.  One of the spider books that we read was "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle.  After we read the book, I had the students make their own books.  Here are some examples of their work.  This year, I have been impressed with my students' drawing and writing abilities.

"Joey wanted Austin to go get some ice cream, but Austin was very busy studying his spider."

Front cover, inside pages and back cover, before I put a student's book together.

Last week we talked about spiders.  One of the spider books that we read was "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle.  After we read the book, I had the students make their own books.  Here are some examples of their work.  This year, I have been impressed with my students' drawing and writing abilities.

This and That

Morning Message- We sing the following song to the tune of the Farmer in the Dell and then I pick a student to read one of the columns to the class.  The other students use thumbs up or thumbs down to decide if the student at the board read the word right.

  Our words are on display, Our words are on display,

Choose the column you'd like to read,

Our words are on display.

I use this game to reinforce number recognition.  First, we use the pumpkins to count from 11 to 40 and then I call on students to guess which numbers the two spiders are hiding behind.

Learning about magnets

Coffee Filter Fish

Here's a look at the fish we made out of coffee filters today in class.

Step 1:  Color flattened coffee filter with markers.

Step 2: Spray with water bottle.

Step 3: Dry completely.  Trace fish pattern onto filter and cut out.

Step 4:  Use sequins, beads, eyeballs, etc to decorate.

Apples! Apples! Apples!

Apple Game:  Use red and green pompoms to put the correct number of apples on the apple tree.

Apple Game

Apple Worm Game:  Use the apples to practice counting to 20.  Have a student call out a number.  Turn the apple over and check if there is a worm under the apple.  Game is over when students find all three apples.

A Look at Last Week

We talked about dentists, doctors and keeping healthy last week in kindergarten.  I got this idea off of pinterest and modified it a little to talk to my students about eating healthy.  They really enjoyed the vegetables and cheese!

In kindergarten, we also did an experiment with milk, soda, and hard boiled eggs to see what kind of effect milk and soda have on our teeth.  We used hard boiled eggs to represent our teeth and put on in a cup of milk and another one in a cup of soda.  Then, we made predictions about what might happen to the egg.  Some of the predictions were, ahem, a little unrealistic.  After a couple of hours, we checked on the egg.  The egg in soda had turned brown and the egg in milk remained white.  After seeing the results, we had a discussion on the benefits of drinking milk and the dangers of eating alot of sugar and soda.

Some of the students in both classes were spreading a rumor about one of the first graders, so in our combined Bible class, we talked about being a good friend.  We listed characteristics of what kind of friend they would want, and then we talked about being that kind of friend to others.

In first grade phonics, we are learning about a penguin named Pip, so we made a penguin snack using oreos, Hershey kisses, and candy corn.

In first grade reading we were reading a story about a fox that wished she had a friend to share a snack with, so we had a tea party on Fun Friday and I shared a snack with them.  Also, a kindergarten parent came to pick up their child and dropped off donuts right before our party!

Well, thanks for stopping by! 
     Miss Rachel

Kindergarten Book Bags Week 4

This is the Frog

The Nap

My Pup

Here are the three books that I made for week 4.  Click on the pictures to download your own copy.

A Look Ahead

Thankful for the successful spirit week last week.  Here's what I plan to teach this week:
Kindergarten Math- Numbers 6-10 (dot patterns, tally marks, etc), Counting to 100 by 1's
Kindergarten Phonics-  E and e, Names begin with a capital letter, Sentences need spaces
Kindergarten Science- Take care of your teeth, Take care of your body
Bible- Wordless book, Noah's Family obeyed, Call of Abram and Abram's Kindness to Lot
Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Psalm 37:27
First Grade Reading- Read four stories in Reader B, Have a Tea Party on Friday
First Grade Phonics- Suffixes, Syllable counting, Finish reviewing letters (x, y, z, q)
First Grade Math-  Counting by 1's, 2's, 5's, 10's to 100, Math test on numbers to 100, Use Montessori materials to intro numbers in the 100's, subtraction

First Grade Writing: Pick a topic to write about.