Armour Clean-up Day!

The kindergarten superheroes helped their community today by picking up trash at the lake in town!  They worked so hard and they did it with joy!  We had a fun time being outdoors on the warmest day of 2019...so far!  While we were out we saw frogs and of course birds!

Leprechauns on the Loose!

When the kids came in from recess they found our
classroom was a mess!  Who could've done such a thing?

He isn't really crying, but he is being silly.

If I told you they were wound up, that would be an
understatement!  Even the quiet ones were going crazy!

It looks like the leprechauns couldn't find any gold in our
classroom, but they left a bit of treasure for the
kindergartners find.  Here is the first clue of the hunt.

I asked them to stay calm in the hallway,
but apparently they didn't hear me.

Too bad the office was locked, but we did find a clue
stuck to the door.

There was even a clue in the music room.

They could hardly contain their excitement!

Aleah found the treasure!  It was back in the toy area
hiding.  Inside was a piece of gold-wrapped candy {Twix}
for each child.  What a fun time!  When I ask past students
what they remember about kindergarten with me, this
leprechaun activity is nearly always one of the few things
they remember.

Scientists At Work - Will it Sink or Float?

Our lesson today was two-fold.  I was trying to teach them the scientific method about making a hypothesis or a guess and then experimenting to find out if you're correct.  I was also teaching them about what sink or floats.  It was a very exciting lesson and they LOVED it!  I so enjoy teaching these kids!

Kite Art - Bring on Spring!

Interesting, Science-y Items

I like to share interesting items with the students.  They
are so filled with wonder.  I try to get them to look
closely and talk about it.What do they see?  How
does it work?  What is it made of?  This strengthens
vocabulary and helps them when it comes to writing.

Teaching Empathy

A friend of mine has cancer and I told the kindergartners about him.  I thought we could cheer him up.  He happens to be a special person in the birding world and the author of one of our field guides.  The first time we sent him a card with several different bird drawings on it.  One of the students drew Bill Thompson III and the likeness was amazing.  Then a friend of Bill's asked other birders to print that character {that Brayden drew} and take it birding with them.  They call it Flat William like Flat Stanley books from a few years ago.

Then the kids wanted to send one more and I thought that was a sweet idea.  When I heard that the Red-headed Woodpecker was his favorite bird, we decided to make a card with woodpeckers on it.  We also decided to write a story about Bill and Red-headed Woodpeckers.  It turned out very nice.  The kids do not know Bill, but I can tell that they like making him feel better.  I thought this was a good way to teach them empathy for others and I think it worked.

Read Across America Day

The last week of February is "Read Across America Week".  We read many books all week and had dress-up days to celebrate.  On Friday it was pajama day and the kindergartners loved that!  We did some fun activities on Friday.  Later the 1st graders came in, so that the K-kids and them could read to each other.  We topped off the day with cupcakes to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday!

Center 1 - Build a new kind of zoo like Gerald McGrew
did in the Dr. Seuss book, "If I Ran the Zoo".

Center 2 - Finger paint a headband with white paint.

Center 3 - Read books and put a tally mark on the board.

Center 4 - Write rhyming words on the hat, color it as
a pattern, and glue it to a small paper plate with the
Cat in the Hat's face drawn on it.

Later the 1st graders came in and the kids read books to each other.