Inspiration

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." (Christopher Robin to Pooh)

I could see that hanging on a wall in my classroom someday.

Landforms and Water

I'm not subbing in Kindergarten any more, but I've had these pics sitting on my computer waiting to be put up!

When we learned about Landforms and Water in science, I decided to tie art and creative writing into it and make a fun project out of it.  Once we finished the unit, I reviewed each of the things we had learned about (mountains, hills, valleys, oceans, rivers, lakes, etc.)

Together, we wrote a poem about each one.  The children then chose which one they wanted to do, and then we set to work.  I love the way they turned out!

Pretty good, huh?  :)

Painting like Georgia O'Keefe

This is the newest artwork up in our classroom.  Spring time makes me think of Georgia O'Keefe and her beautiful blooming flowers!

I showed the kindergarteners several prints of O'Keefe's artwork and talked about how she drew all of her flowers bigger than life, and filled the entire paper with colorful petals.

We started at the center of our 12''x12'' paper, using a yellow crayon to draw the pollen and delicate fillaments at the heart of a rose.  From there, each child worked outward, adding as many petals as they could fit on the square paper.

Since the kinders had never used water color before, I went over the basics and let the excitement begin!

I love how they turned out.

All children are artists.  The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

--Pablo Picasso

Using Magna Doodles

In the mornings, after my kinders finish their journal writing, I let them sit quietly on the carpet and practice their spelling words on a Magna Doodle while they wait for the rest of the class to finish their work.  It works really well, because they get to work on their handwriting and spelling at once, and enjoy it more than they would if they were writing it out on paper (plus, I don't have to buy dry erase markers for them!)

Today, after everyone had moved from journaling at their tables to spelling on the carpet, I had them keep their Magna Doodles so that we could do another activity.

We learned about seasons yesterday, and since we don't really have seasons in California, I knew they would need some reinforcement.

I had the kids sit in a circle, and asked them each to use their Magna Doodles to draw a picture about Winter.  I gave them 1-2 minutes to draw their pictures, and then we went around in a circle sharing what they drew.  The kinders were proud to show their drawings, and they really had some great ideas for representing the seasons.  (My favorite one for the day was a drawing of Fall where "the sun is zapping all the leaves off the trees."  !!!)

It helped them cement a rather vague concept in their minds, and they really enjoyed sharing their work and thoughts with each other.

Knick Knack Paddy Whack

I used a new book today,  Ellen Booth Church's "Best Ever Circle Time Activities" from Scholastic.  It's written for PreK-1st and packed full of activities and games that build phonemic awareness, expand vocabulary, and strengthen listening skills.

There is a fun activity called "Tell Me A Drawing" where you draw a picture as the children direct you step by step.  We drew a dog.  The fun thing is, that after you draw each body part, you sing Knick Knack Paddy Whack.  Ours went like this:

This old dog, here's his ______ (head)
(children fill in body part)
He played knick knack on my ________(bed)
(add rhyming word)
With a knick knack paddy whack, draw another part,
This old dog is really smart!

The kids loved choosing the part I drew next, and coming up with words to rhyme with the body part.  They enjoyed it a lot, it encouraged them to think of rhyming words, and I consider it a success!

Field Trip Funnies

Kindergarten through Third grade went on a field trip today to see a local community college production of Miss Nelson is Missing.  They loved it!  The play was very well done, very funny, brightly colored, and entertaining.  I would totally do that again :)

We had a rather funny communication mixup, though.  The bus arrived at 8:30, so basically as soon as the children got to school, I had them lining up and ready at the classroom door.  One of the dads came into the class with his son, and when I asked where his sack lunch was, the dad said that Lucas didn't need one because he wasn't going on the field trip.  Surprised, I asked why.

"Oh, you know...I don't think he'd sit still and enjoy it very much," Dad said, "He will just stay here instead with the other kids."

"Other kids?  What other kids?  Everyone who is here is going with us."

I don't know why he thought it was an optional field trip!  I had been certain that I had it marked down that he had turned in his permission slip and paid the $16 admission ticket.  It turns out that when the classroom aide puts a check next to someone's name, it means "check on this," instead of that the permission slip had been turned in! 

Also, the permission slip that was passed out to all K-3 students has a place to sign that your child will be attending, but says nothing about assuming responsibility of your child should you choose not to send him on the trip.  Pretty funny, huh?  I'm sure that we will be rewording the form next year!

I assured Lucas' dad that it was fine if Lucas came, since I had assumed he was anyway.  Dad went out the door, called Mom, and then came back in the room.  He decided to give Lucas the choice:  "Lucas, would you like to go to the field trip, or would you rather go home and spend the day with Mommy?"

No brainer!!!

Oh well, one less head to keep an eye on...

Counting Coins

We have spent the last week learning how to count money, but the kindergarteners are still struggling with it.  We've done worksheets together, we've counted out play money, we've learned what the head and tails of each coin looks like, but they still aren't getting it.

I did a portion of my student teaching in a kindergarten class, and the teacher there taught her class the coins using the tune "Frere Jacques."  It's pretty simple :)

Penny, Nickel, Dime

Penny, Nickel, Dime

Quarter, Half Dollar,

Quarter, Half Dollar,

One, Five, Ten,

One, Five, Ten,

Twenty-five, Fifty

Twenty-five, Fifty

My class here learned it relatively easily, and I printed large model coins off the computer and posted them on the white board with name labels and how much each one is worth.  It's helping slowly :)

I cleared the morning today so that we could spend more time focusing on money.  Their test is on Tuesday, and I want to make sure they understand before then! 

I split the class into two groups, gave half of them a two page worksheet that had them identify pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, and then brought the other half to the kidney table with me where we played store.  I used post-it notes to put prices on various toys from around the classroom, gave each child pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters, and let them one by one make purchases to show that they understood how to use the money.  They really enjoyed the "game" (I love it when learning is fun!).

When we finished our group centers, we gathered on the carpet and practiced buying things together. I drew pictures of a pencil, a book, a lunchbox, and an alphabet block.  Next to each one, I put a price tag.  Then I chose students to come up and buy the items.  They chose coins from a money box and decided how to pay for things.  I drew the coins they chose to pay with under the item they "bought," and then invited other students to come up and show different ways to pay the same amount of money.  It was very successful, and now I feel better about their understanding of money! 

We will be doing more of this on Monday to prepare for that test :)

Oh, Say...Can We Say?

Special Friends Day is coming up in two weeks.  It's a day where every student can bring someone special, be it a grandparent, a special aunt, an older cousin, or good ol' Mom or Dad.  There's an entire sports-themed program planned, and K-3 is singing a song, 4-5 are doing one, and 6-8 are singing one, too.

I just found out that the 1st and 2nd grade teachers decided to change ours from "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" to "Star Spangled Banner."  Interesting, since "Take Me Out" has such easier lyrics, but no, apparently it has too many verses (skip some--who even cares!?) so it's on to "o'er the ramparts" and "gallantly streaming."

In two weeks, I need to teach 5 year olds words to a song they can't read.  As soon as I learned of the switch today, I sat down with my kinders and had them repeat, line by line, the lyrics to the song before we tried to sing them.  When we finished, one of the girls looked at me and said, "Teacher?  These words are too big for five year olds."

My thought exactly!!!

But we'll make it.  :)   I'm going to write the words on our flip board and do my best to add some rebuses, but it will take some creativity!  Maybe some hand motions, too... hmm.  Time to put on my thinking cap!

It's frustrating to be the odd man out.  The other primary teachers are so tight that it's easy to feel like a nobody.  Especially when they make decisions that they forget to inform you about.  They've been doing this all for so long that it's more of a bother to clue the new teacher in than just to do it all themselves.  How am I supposed to be part of a team when I keep getting left out?  Sigh.

I'm always promising myself that I will never forget what it felt like to be a student teacher, or a substitute teacher, or a first year teacher.  Is it really that easy to forget what an uncomfortable, unappreciated time it can be?

Why I love Kindergarten

We focused on directional language for English today.  It always amazes me how many Kindergarteners can't tell left from right.  We talked about how you can make an L with your left hand for "Left," and tied a piece of blue yarn around their left wrists to help remind them.  We played Hokey Pokey, and "Directional Tic-Tac-Toe" (I made it up on the spot...but they had to decide if they would put their mark on the bottom-right, top-left, middle-middle...they loved it!)

We also drew a group picture where I had one student come up at a time and follow my directions.  I had one come up and draw a tree on the left side of the picture, and one come up and draw a hill on the right side.  Here's my smile for the day:

Me: Lucas, on the right side of the picture, in front of the hill, will you please draw a dog?  Very good!
Now, Jeffrey, on the left side of the picture, at the top, will you please draw a sun?
Lucas: Aw, man!  He's gonna burn my poor little dog!

:)

On another note, I'm scouring the internet for a fun Dr. Suess birthday project we can do during our art period on Friday..any suggestions?

Just for a Laugh

A parent clipped this story out of a newspaper.  It just makes me laugh!  There are definitely days like this :)
Since it was cut out, I don't have the author's name...but I hope you enjoy.

A change in the weather had brought low temperatures and a threat of rain, possibly snow.  At the end of class, a kindergarten teacher was asked by a young lad if she would help him put his boots on.

It was soon evident why he asked for assistance.  Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots just didn't want to go on his feet.  By the time they were able to get the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat.

She was speachless when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet!" 

Sure enough, they were.  It wasn't any easier getting them off than it was putting them on.  But she managed to keep her cool as they struggled to get the boots on the correct feet.

The little tyke then announced, "These aren't my boots."  Although the day had been strenuous, she bit her tongue rather than lash out, demanding "Why didn't you say so at first!?"  Without a word, she kneeled down and battled to once again remove the ill-fitting boots.

No sooner had they removed the boots when the dear child announced proudly, "They're my brother's boots--Mom made me wear 'em."

At this point, she didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or scream, but she mustered up the grace and courage to once again wrestle the boots back on.

Helping him into his coat, she asked, "Now, where are your mittens?"

He said, "Oh, Mom said to stuff them in the toes of my boots so I wouldn't lose 'em."

!!!

...Which brings me to something else:  I am SO thankful to live in California!  I can't imagine having to suit kindergartners up for the snow every day for recess, lunch, and to go home!  Thank you, Lord, for sunshine, and just enough rainy days to keep us in this glorious drought.  ;-)

Pictures :)

These the little valentines we made for our bulletin board.  They turned out really cute!  I cut the shapes out (usually, I have them do it, but there were so many little pieces...)

Aren't they cute?!?

They each wrote their names on the heart.  This little lady is excited to learn cursive :)

This is the cutest behavior chart I think I've seen!  The K teacher before me made it, and I love it :)

It's says, "Hopping Good Behavior"

"On the lilypad?  Go, Frog, go!"

"In the water?  Slow, Frog, slow!"

"On the brown log? Whoa, Frog, whoa!"

"In the fish's belly?  No, Frog, no!"

The frogs are attached with velcro, and the students move them when they misbehave.

Like I said, it's not my creation, but it's too cute not to show!

I have more pictures to blog about, but the computer here at school is giving me issues.  I'll put more up another time :)

Oops :)

Sorry about my absence last week...I got locked out of my account!  When I couldn't log in, I worried that something had happened to my account, started wondering if I would need to make another blog, fretted about falling behind...and then I realized I wasn't using the correct password to sign in!  Lol.  Duh, Mrs. B!

I took several pictures from around my classroom yesterday so that I can put them up here.  That way, you can see what we've been up to!

Our 100th Day of school was a success, and the kids had a blast counting all day.  Only in Kindergarten is that still fascinating enough to keep them interested for hours :)

The next big thing we will be getting ready for is Dr. Suess's birthday.  Does anyone have fun craft ideas?

Chinese New Year is bigger around here than Valentine's Day was!  Out of my 10 Kinders, 7 of them are Chinese.  One family brought me a gift bag on Friday with Chinese treats and a beautiful card for me detailing the importance of this holiday to them.  Another mom came in on Friday and enthralled the kids with the story of the first Chinese New Year.  She gave each of them a gorgeous red envelope with golden Chinese characters and "lucky money" inside.  She taught them how to say "gōng xǐ," meaning "congratulations, we made it another year!"  She also told them that most of them were probably born in the Year of the Sheep, so they should all be quiet like sheep in class! :)

This was my first year, and I really had no idea what an important holiday Chinese New Year around here.  Heck, I grew up in "Little Mexico," practically, and didn't even remember that the Chinese celebrate the New Year at a different time than we do!  Next year, I will plan a much bigger celebration, and focus more on the traditions of the culture for that week, including traditional food, dress, and art work.  I am thankful that the parents are so involved and were happy to come in and teach the children about their important traditions!

100th Day of School

Next Monday is our 100th Day of School.

My kindergarteners will be busy counting all day!

I've looked online for different songs, poems, dances, and activities to do, along with 100-themed books. The kids are very excited about it :)

One fun activity that we are going to try this year is to make a 100 Day Aquarium using blue Jell-O and 100 swedish fish candies. The kids will love getting to "help" make the Jell-O, and it will be a fun afternoon treat for us!

While we are waiting for the Jell-O to set, we're also going to make a paper aquarium to put up on the wall. I've printed out 10 paper fish that each child will decorate and cut out themselves (I have ten students, so it works out perfectly!). We will put our 100 paper fish on our blue paper "aquarium" and count them together.

This is my first year teaching, so I'm curious what other primary teachers are doing to celebrate the 100th day with their classes. Maybe yours has already passed, maybe it's coming up soon. How are you celebrating your 100th day of school?

Kindergarten

Well, I've left 4/5th grade behind me, and moved down to Kindergarten for the next 10 weeks!

These kiddos are guaranteed to give me lots of things to write about. Here are my two favorites from this week:

During Science Time:
Me: Ok, so we've talked about some animals that have fur, and animals that have skin, and animals that have scales; now let's talk about animals that have feathers. Who can tell me what animal has feathers?
Lucas: Horses!

During Circle Time:
Me: Lauren, you need to sit still.
Lauren: Sorry, Mrs. BroomMaker, but my bones are having a party.

What do YOU do?

Our principal shared this with us at our morning devotional today. I'm sharing it because every teacher needs to be reminded of this every once in a while :)

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)I make kids wonder.I make them question.I make them apologize and mean it.I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

I teach them how to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.I make them read, read, read.

I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator.

I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life."

Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.

"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.

You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

What do you make, Mr. CEO?"