An example of our morning routine

Mrs. Frohlich picks out a pattern for the day for the kids to do: AB, ABB, ABC, etc. Next, the kids trace their names at least 3x. Then, we read a morning message and go over our schedule for the day. I like all the different objects and ways Mrs. Frohlich uses to teach the kids patterns and letters. Fun, fun, fun!

Personalize a free picture slideshow

"Run, run as fast as you can!"

"You can't catch me, I'm the Musubi Man!" I got to read The Musubi Man by Sandi Takayama to the kids in preparation for our gingerbread man baking day. [I like that we bake or make something as a class for snack every Friday. This is something I think they'll remember about their kinder days...hopefully, with a smile.]

This is my 'first' time ever to make a gingerbread man. I'm glad I got to experience this and their escape in Mrs. Frohlich's class with Mrs. Lacher and Ms. Lani. They make kindergarten fun! =)

Customize your own photo slideshow

Dirt & Worms for Snack!

We made dirt and worms for snack today! It started out with Mrs. Frohlich's morning message to the kids. She uses the morning message not only to tell the kids what will happen today but also uses it go review letters and ask the kids to find uppercase and lowercase letters. It's great literacy exposure. :)

Here's our dirt recipe:

Mat Man, Mat Man, Mat Man!!!

The kids were introducted to Mat Man as a tool to help them with their handwriting. This is part of Handwriting Without Tears. It's new to me because we didn't have Mat Man when I was in Kinder.

K Mat Man Curriculum: "Our readiness and writing lessons teach body awareness, cooperation, taking turns, listening, crayon grip, drawing, building, letter and number recognition, capital letter and number formation."

Here are the kids trying to put their own Mat Man together. Some were challenged with where the arms go.

Lyssia got it! =)

Sammy got it! =)

Yummy Science!

This digital slideshow generated with Smilebox

Part of our Rock Lessons included making and baking SEDIMENTARY ROCK SNACKS! This was all in the name of science! This was an easy baking lesson that we did as an entire class. I greatly enjoyed this with the kids and would sooo do this with my students. It was helpful to have three teachers helping three groups of kids with measuring and layering our glass pans.

THANK YOU, MRS. LACHER, FOR THE RECIPE!!!

Ingredients for one pan:
1/2 cup of butter
1 & 1/2 cups of vanilla wafers crumbs
1 can of condensed milk
1 package of peanut butter chips
(can substitute with other chips and/or craisins if there are peanut allegies or add for extra 'rocks')
1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

Materials:
clear/glass 13" by 9" baking pan (may need more than one depending on number of students)
can opener
rolling pin (optional)
Freezer Ziploc bags (use one bag for each group of students)
several measuring cups
(light enough for kids to use to layer indegredients)
heat source
oven mitts

Steps to Follow:
1. Crush vanilla wafers in freezer Ziploc bag (use rolling pin and/or have kids use fists to crush)
2. Melt butter and pour in pan
3. Sprinkle vanilla wafer crumbs over melted butter
4. Pour condensed milk evenly over the crumbs
5. Layer the remaining ingredients evenly over the top
6. Press down gently (use spoon or spatula)
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes
8. Let cool...cut into bars...ENJOY!

Follow-up with Students:
Describe how the baked item was formed. Notice that after being pressed and exposed to heat (baked), the items remained in layers. Explain how this is a good example of how sedimentary rocks were formed.

Class Pledge

Together we went through our class pledge along with good and bad choices. Afterwards, everyone signed our class pledge if he/she agreed to do their best to follow it. Everyone signed. :)

Integrated Lesson

As a class, we went through who was 5, 6, or 7 years old. We had the kids predict which age would have the most and least number of kids. Then, Mrs. Lacher had each child find his/her name on the door and place it under his/her present age. Afterwards, the children counted how many students were under each age. The final question asked was will there be any 7 year olds in this school year.

This was a fun way to integrate several content areas. I would definitely do this in my classroom. :)

Let's Find Out

Instead of having the kids sit at their seats during this lesson, Mrs. Frohlich had the kids sit on the carpet in a circle. I thought this was a great idea because it makes talking about emotions more personal and they can see each others' faces. They also talked about shapes and colors--all from the first page. =)

While going over each shape below, Mrs. Frohlich had the kids look around the room for these shapes or think about items in their homes or other places shaped like these.

Storytime

12. Alphabet City by Stephen T. Johnson
This is a must-have book in a classroom. It's a fun way to get the kids to see and/or look for letters outside the classroom. I also used this story to teach kids how to take turns. Each child got to identify a letter. If the child could not identify the letter, then, he/she could pick another child to help him/her out. The helper had to be someone who was sitting the way he/she should be. This was another way to reinforce classroom rules on how to properly sit during storytime (bottom down on the carpet, criss-cross apple sauce, hands on your lap, and eyes on the speaker).

13. My First Riddles; Pictures by Judith Hoffman Corwin
The kids really enjoyed this one...not too hard but enough of a challenge for their level. I bought this book at Tidal Wave and would definitely keep it for my classroom.

14. The Amazing Story of Spider-Man by Catherine Saunders
I love Spider-Man and so do most of the boys in our class. When I saw this book at Tidal Wave, I had to get it. The girls enjoyed it, too, and asked more questions about Spider-Man than the boys did. Also, this book gives a good summary about Spider-Man.

Intro to Rocks Lesson

Steps:
1. Read the book Rocks (during Storytime)

2. Introduce rock words (descriptors) and go over what we'll be doing during Science time (during Storytime)

Students used the following rock words/descriptors:
crystals, rough, smooth, light, dark, small, large, pointy, hard, shiny, and round.

3. Prepare rock investigation table for nine students at a time (students will rotate between science and cooking)
Materials: black construction paper (rub rocks to get dust), mini magnifying glasses, rocks, crayons/colored pencils, Rock Record worksheet, and Rock Words worksheet

4. Show different rocks to students (scoria, river rocks, tuff, & basalt); hand out magnifying glasses for students to investigate the different rocks (color, texture, shape, etc.)

Note: Scoria was the biggest hit because of its color and when you rub them together you get rock dust that is very visible on the black construction paper.

5. Hand out black paper and have students rub same rocks together on top of paper to see what color dust they get; have them repeat this process with different rocks

6. Have students pick out one rock, hand out rock record worksheet, and have them draw their rock and write out what type of rock it is (rock piles will be labeled so students can copy rock names).

Note: We did not get to this part because the students were in awe of the rocks--feeling them out, rubbing them, smelling them, and looking at them with a magnifying glass. We'll do this piece when we introduce other rocks such as sulfur, pumice, etc.

The next day, our students were eager to look at rocks on the playground and our track trail. It was fun for me to see their excitement in looking for unique rocks--unique to them. :)

Stamping during Free Choice...

During Free Choice today, Ethan decide to stamp at the Writing Center. Soon enough other kids followed. Lots of smiles at the Writing Center as they explored the big tub of rubber stamps. :) I thought how great it was they chose stamping vs. playing with blocks, cars, and other toys.

Farmer & the Dell

Here we are singing Farmer & the Dell. The kids enjoyed this activity because it involved singing and dancing. It doesn't seem like a literacy activity...more like play. =)

Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxQGkPcAze4
to see a youtube on The Wiggles singing The Farmer & the Dell

Questions...

Mrs. Frohlich has a question kit and will be asking the kids different questions every couple days. Their answers will be posted in the classroom(see photo below). This is a great literacy tool because, one, it familiarizes the students with their own names. Two--Math is incorporated by counting how many students answered in particular ways. Three--the whole class is getting to know each other through the answers and even the process of getting answers. And imagine all the neurons connecting in their brains as they think of their answers! =)

Storytime

Here are more books I read to the kids during storytime...

7. Pig Picnic by Patricia Hubbell
This is a quick read with colorful illustrations. It's a story on sharing.

8. The ABC Mystery by Doug Cushman
This was a very enjoyable book as we learned our letters and solved a mystery! Thumbs up from all the kids. :) I would get this for my own library.

9. Everybody Needs A Rock by Byrd Baylor
I read this to kick off our science lessons on rocks. I love this book -- great for social/emotional learning, too. Half of the kids liked it, while the other half did not. The kids couldn't understand some of the illustrations and asked why the drawings looked like that. I 'think' because they are used to cartoon-like illustrations that this type of illustration threw them off. Great message though. I brought two of my rocks from home to share with them. They felt the textures (one was smooth and the other was rough). They also smelled the rocks as one of the rules from this rock book was to smell the rocks. :) In the end I smelled my rocks and told the kids they smelled like kindergarteners!!! I got smiles, laughs, and giggles. ;)

10. Rocks by Brenda Parkes
This book is from our science rock kit. It was a great book to introduce rocks to our students.

11. Today is Monday by Eric Carle
I read this book to the kids during calendar time after we sang the Days of the Week song by the Addams Family. Once they saw the chicken in this book they became very animated. ;) This book is a must have in every kindergarten classroom!

Ethan's Bingo Prize...

Ethan picked out an autograph book from the Treasure Box. He immediately wrote in it. He wrote "recess" and "gym." Then, he asked Mrs. Frohlich how to spell a sentence he heard her say. He copied each word: "Introduce yourself to the classroom."

This free slideshow design made with Smilebox

Bingo with Shapes & Colors! (9.1.11)

The 'bigger' kids were testing in the computer lab so we did not get our computer time. In place of computer class, we decided to play Shapes & Colors Bingo. Some kids had not played Bingo before so it took multiple times to explain how to play. The kids voiced their disappointments when none of their shapes and colors were called. I kept them in suspense by saying the shape first and then the color (you hear gasps and then some "yay's" and some "awww"). Calling it out in reverse works, too. I did this because when I said the shape and color in one sentence, many of the kids could not see that item on their board when in fact they had that particular shape and color. As we play this game more, I'm sure they'll get faster at it...!!!

Ethan and Kiera got "Bingo" during this round. :) For prizes, they each picked something out of the class Treasure Box. Mrs. Frohlich is the only teacher I've met with a treasure box filled with prizes...pretty cool idea. :)

Literacy Observation - Ethan

Ethan is first-grade ready. He is alert and follows along and can predict what will happen with all the lessons I have observed and led. He is a quick-study and very witty. The only area I have observed where he takes his time is with coloring. He presses the crayons or colored pencils very hard on the paper. Mrs. Frohlich has told him several times to ease up on his grip so he won't tire easily. He does ease up a bit, but goes back to coloring his way...he said this is how he wants to color. Ethan is also very social which surprised us because he was extremely shy during kindergarten profile and on the first day of school. I did this profile with him and I remember him just sitting there while I tried to make him comfortable. Then, I said "robots" and that opened the door for us to start his profile and to hear his stories. =)

For my literacy observation assignment, I observed Ethan as he was listening to Mrs. Lacher read the story The Three Silly Billies by Margie Palatini. I also observed Ethan during other storytimes. He listens well and is able to sit in one place during the entire story (this storytime was over 15 minutes on the carpet). During this storytime, he switched places with Lyssia because she couldn't see Mrs. Lacher over Glenn. Ethan moved without hesitation. He is considerate that way; this is not the first time I've seen him do a kind act for a classmate.

Ethan also stays focused during computer class. He pauses at times to help out a fellow classmate or show 'her' his creation.

Picture collage customized with Smilebox

Literacy Observation - Lyssia

Here is Lyssia...she is generally the first student to finish up with her coloring or project. I have enjoyed watching her work because she finds ways to be efficient. Lyssia is right-handed and has great fine motor skills.

On this video clip (my literacy observation of her), she was the first one to finish gluing the beans to all the letters of her name. Most kids put one dot of glue and then the bean...one dot of glue and then the bean. This way is the long way unless a student is fast. Lyssia put a dot of glue on one entire letter and then the beans. She repeated this until she was done. The other students wondered how she was ahead of them. I suggested that they watch her work. Some copied her style while others continued doing one dot and one bean at a time...we all have our own styles. :)

Since Lyssia finished first, she and I got to roll our names with Play Doh. At first she couldn't get how to roll the Play Doh to make her name. I rolled one "S" with her. She caught on quickly and finished the rest of her name. Goooo, Lyssia! =)

This picture collage customized with Smilebox

Literacy Observation - Glenn

Here is Glenn...he is very social and has a very friendly smile. :) He's not shy at all with meeting new people.

My literacy observation of Glenn was during computer class. Glenn prefers the storybooks vs. the alphabet and other games. In between helping other students, I observed Glenn going from one story to another for the majority of computer time (12:15p to 1:00p). He is right-handed and has no problems using the mouse. In the beginning he had some difficulties following instructions on where to the click within the story. Mrs. Lacher asked him if he could hear the instructions with the headphones. Glenn nodded "yes." After that he started clicking where he was supposed to in order to move the story along.

I also observed that Glenn's attention span is longer when hearing stories on the computer than being read to in class. It may have to do with the "active" illustrations on the computer. He did enjoy the book From Head to Toe by Eric Carle -- it may have to do with the movements involved in the book. I had the kids do all the animals movements from the book.

Digital collage customized with Smilebox

Sign Language Basics - "Come Down and Play"

On Friday, 9/2/11, the kids and I did sign language to the song, "Comy Down and Play" by Monta Z. Briant and Susan Z. This was a fun literacy activity with movement. The girls seemed to enjoy this the most because they wanted to repeat the song again but the boys were ready to move on. The boys did enjoy learning to sign the bugs: butterfly, ladybug, and bumble bee.

(Bolded words were signed)
Butterfly, Butterfly
Flyin’ up, up, up to the sky
(repeat)
Ladybug, Ladybug
Flyin’ up, up, up above
Ladybug, Ladybug
Come down and play
(repeat)
Bumblebee, Bumblebee
Flyin’ up, up, up in the tree
Come down and play
(repeat)

Audio Library

Marie and I each read a book for Mrs. Bell's audio library. She is a third-grade teacher. It was an interesting experience to hear the playback of my voice recording--it was technologically enhanced! Sweet! ;)

I read Tillie and the Wall by Leo Lionni. Great story!

Peanut butter balls, anyone???

This year no one has allergies to peanuts, so yum, yum to our tums! We were able to make peanut butter balls in class. Mrs. Lacher led the way! Our literacy activity was going over the recipe with the kids. Boy, did they ever enjoy this lesson!!! =)

(Click each picture to enlarge)

Digital collage generated with Smilebox

Duck, Duck Goose!

Here we are playing Duck, Duck Goose! We sang, we counted, we laughed, we giggled, and we ran in circles. Whew! ;) This was an opportunity to see how coordinated we were in tagging and running. Some kids ran around the circle more than once before sitting--it's the excitement of the chase!

The Must Calendar!

Marie and I alternate leading the calendar after Mrs. Frohlich showed us her calendar routine. This is done in the afternoons. We also sing "Days of the Week" from the Addams Family. I have a video of Marie singing this with the kids. Unfortunately, I cannot post it because not of all our students signed a media release. :(

The kids like helping with the calendar by selecting the correct date. Marie had a great idea of letting the line leader for the day help out with the calendar. In other classes I've observed, two kids were assigned to lead the calendar activity. I would implement this in my classroom.

During this time, we also recite what a penny and a nickel are worth. I point to the words as I say the words with the kids (or they try to say it with me). Before the end of 2011, we'll have learned the dime and quarter poems, too.

Stamp, stamp, stamp!!!

Another literacy activity we did was stamping the letters of our names onto Play Doh. Fun, fun, fun! Mrs. Frohlich has a great collection of cookie cutters and other sorts that made this literacy time fun, fun, fun! I would definitely do this with my own class. Fun, fun, fun! =)

Literacy & Technology

Twice a week, we have computer class. The kids have fun learning the alphabet through games, songs, and storybooks from Starfall (.com or .org?).

One of the great parts about computer time is the kids get to decide which games, songs, and stories they want to interact with. They are being exposed to technology, working on literacy, and enhancing their motor skills. I can only imagine what the technology world will be like when these kids are ready to enter the work force.

I remember one teacher saying how we're preparing kids now for an unknown future. When I was in kindergarten (many many many moons ago), who knew I'd be using an iPhone to take notes, email, call, text, take pictures and videos, etc -- all this from a device that fits in the palm of my hand! Stick to the basics! Teach 'em literacy, math, art, science, social studies, and social/emotional skills...and send them off on their journeys!

Rolling with Play Doh

Another literacy project we did with the kids was rolling out ropes of Play Doh (no mixing of colors) to spell their names and create whatever else the kids imagined. This is a great way to have fun while working on their motor and literacy skills! =)

Here are Lyssia and I with Glenn in the background...

Fun with Chalk!

We can still draw and write with chalk outside...YAY (no snow yet)!!! =) Here are some drawings from kindergarteners. It's a great way for them to be creative while sharpening their fine and gross motor skills. =)


(Click on each picture to enlarge)

Digital collage customized with Smilebox

Tracing Our Names with Beans

Not all of our students know how to spell their names. Therefore, this activity helped them begin to learn the letters in their names. It also helped all the kids with their fine motor skills by gluing the beans on the construction paper.

It was interesting to see how the kids approached this project. Some put a dot of glue on the paper and then placed the bean on top of the glue. Others opted to put a dot of glue around each letter and then place the beans on top; the kids who did this option finished faster. In addition, some kids left spaces between the beans while others glued them side by side.

I would do this activity with my classroom. The only question I have is what non-food item could be used in place of beans. Professor Capuozzo mentioned in our Creativity class to not use food items in class if they're not going to be eaten. He got this idea from his professor because of how hunger is still an unfortunate issue in our world. Buttons is one option.

Knock, Knock Name Game

On the first day of class, Marie had us all play the Knock, Knock Name Game to get to know each others' names. Some kids understood what was going on, other kids did not, and a couple did not want to participate verbally. But all the kids were smiling and laughing. Also, some kids were helping other kids try to understand the game. Innately speaking, kids at this age are eager to help and please. :)