My adventure to P.E.

Not only did the kids get to play a really fun game in P.E, but they got to have me playing right along with them! I had so much fun. The game their P.E. teacher came up with was called Crazy Penguin. I was the crazy penguin and had to stand in the middle of the circle and throw snowballs (small balls made from yarn) at them. If I hit them from their shoulders or below they were to be a crazy penguin with me. I hope they had as much fun as I did! What a great learning experience for me. I definitely plan on attending more of their specials so I can have fun learning right along with them.

Making our Christmas Wish List

Student Friendly: I can write words using the sounds I hear.

Snowman Fun

Great activity for fine motor skills. They had to take a cotton ball and pull it apart. You will also notice the small pieces that went into our snowmen. They did an amazing job at staying calm and asking for help if they needed it. Great learning activity for their patience!

More Christmas Art

We made ourselves as Santa's elves!

Getting our hands full of paint!

The kids love days when I tell them we are painting. Better yet, they love days when I say they will be getting paint put on their hands. I think the snowman ornaments turned out so adorable!

Christmas Gifts for Our Parents

Above you will see Christmas gifts in the making. We first glued Popsicle sticks to a piece of paper. Then we put another Popsicle stick across the top to create a hat for our snowman. Then we painted, let it dry, and added the snowman's eyes, nose, and mouth. We gifted them to parents as ornaments. They were a huge hit!

November Field Trip

I must first apologize for being behind with my posts. In November we took a field trip to a farm about 20 minutes away from the school. The bus ride alone was a day-maker for the kids. It was amazing to see their faces light up just from getting to ride in the school bus.

At the farm, we were able to see all different types of animals such as cows and horses. The kids were shocked to see turkeys, ducks, chickens, and a goat. One student even told me that we were at a crazy farm because these animals don't belong at a farm! What a great learning opportunity. 

Besides seeing the animals, the students were put into a weighing mechanisms to see how much our class weighed. We topped the scale at 1006 pounds, as much as a cow! They of course thought that was awesome. One little boy even said that I didn't have to get on the scale because I'm beautiful no matter what. You just have to love kids!

To top off our day, the students were able to sit on a tractor and have their pictures taken! It was a perfect day. On our way home the students were given an apple from the apple trees that were at the farm. Many of them even fell asleep. It's tiring work touring a farm.

I apologize for not having any pictures. I was having so much fun that I forgot to take any!

Sight Word Bulletin Board

Recently we have been putting a huge emphasis on the students learning their sight words. The entire Kindergarten team agreed that the more they see it, the easier it will be for them to remember and learn them. I thought it would be adorable to incorporate our sight words into our holiday bulletin board. Due to testing, the kids weren't able to help me as much as I would've liked so instead, I let them put the glitter on the snow flakes (sight words).

Hand Turkey

The kids had a lot of fun creating hand turkeys. It was a great lesson to freshen up on our 5 senses as we got to talk about how it felt to have our hand painted. Most students agreed that it really tickled! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Decorating for Thanksgiving

The students made a doorknob decoration for Thanksgiving and then pointed out that our room looked like it needed some holiday spirit.

Teddy Bear Subtraction

The students used the teddy bears in our room as a manipulative to figure out how to subtract. They did such an amazing job!

Dice Addition

Learning math can be so much fun! With a partner, the students were to each roll the dice and then create a number sentence. It was a learning experience for everyone!

Above you can see the student is counting the dots on the dice so she can create her number sentence. 

The students above asked me if it mattered what number you put first in our number sentence. Instead of telling them the answer, I simply said I wasn't sure and maybe they should try it to see what happens. It was amazing to see the smiles on their faces when they realized it didn't matter. Such a fun learning moment!

Bringing science into the classroom

        Yes, above you do see a snake skin. Since moving to the desert, I have been absolutely terrified of the creatures that live here. I woke up one morning to a dreary day as it looked as if it might rain. I let the dog out to use the bathroom and looked down to find the snake skin. I immediately panicked and made my husband come out to see it! I left for work with every intention of collecting the snake skin later that evening to bring into the classroom for the kids to see.
       I got home that evening to find that the rain had ruined it. I should've just gathered the snake skin right away but lets face it, I was freaked out! After all, it rarely rains in the desert so I thought I was safe.
        We did talk about the snake skin and I showed the picture to my students. Some thought it was amazing and others did not. Of course, there were a million questions! I just love teachable moments.

What should Mrs. Brown be for Halloween?

This was hilarious! I let them use their imaginations and choose what I should be for Halloween. I only posted four of them, but they were all worth sharing.

witch

witch

chicken

star

Red Ribbon Week Door Contest

If you mustache, room 4 is drug free!

It was a little windy when we tried to take the picture, so you'll see I have a wonderful student helping me out!

Red Ribbon Week

        This week was devoted to learning about how to be drug free! We read a pledge about being drug free and then the students had to think about whether they wanted to lead a drug free life or not. One student said it was silly to give them time to think, of course they all wanted to be drug free! They then signed their names and then drew a picture of themselves living a drug free life. The drawing of themselves were adorable!

Letters and Math

        Learning can happen in more than one subject at the same time. I love taking one activity and finding as many ways as possible to learn from it. Below, you will see what appears to be two pictures of trains. To the kids of room 4, it was so much more!
        First, we had to choose what color of construction paper we wanted for our background and then cut the construction paper in half. Then, we had to cut apart the parts of our train. If we wanted to use the parts, we had to be able to tell Mrs. Brown what shape it was. Finally, we had to tell Mrs. Brown what the parts of the train were that we built and what letter each part started with. For example, the window starts with letter w.
        Learning can be so much fun even with the simplest tasks!

  

All about Tt

A couple of weeks ago we learned about the letter Tt. I decided to dress up in almost anything and everything that started with the letter Tt.

• tiara
• tie
• tights
• tutu
• tennis shoe

Beat the Teacher

        It's not easy when you are 5 to sit quietly all day. When the class tends to get a little chatty, we play a game. I will say, "In 3-2-1 I will have my bubble". The students will then reply, "3-2-1" and then have a bubble in their mouths. If they successfully do it, they get the point and if they do not, I get the point. 
        At the end of the day, if the students win, they will get to draw from the paper bag. The bag consists of all different kinds of rewards such as a brain break dance video. The kids absolutely love to try and beat the teacher.

Brain Break!

Everyone needs a break every now and again! We take active brain breaks by dancing ninja style!

Field Trip to the Library

The students loved touring the local library. They even got to hear one of their favorite stories!

2D Shape Pizza

This week we learned about 2 Dimensional shapes. We then were able to make our very own shape pizzas. I think they turned out absolutely adorable! 

*Note the pizza crust the two girls made above.*

I can identify and draw a 2D shape.

Learning to Count

I've been a little behind posting. Below you will see a project done by the students where they had to cut out numbers and glue them in the correct order. You may even notice that some of my students are learning to write. It is so exciting to see the students progress throughout the year.

Below you will see that the student was able to write by hearing the beginning sounds.

Picnic at Apple Park

Munching on our snacks

Sitting on our parachute to avoid the itchy grass. To add a lesson to our picnic, we talked about pairs and colors as each student and a partner had to share a color to sit on.

This week in our Treasure's book we read about families that went on a picnic at Apple Park. So, we too decided we needed to go on a picnic as we are a big family at school. Next week we will be learning about Johnny Appleseed, so instead of apples we decided on graham crackers, gold fish, and juice boxes(student's choice). It was great to get the students out of the classroom and seeing the excitement on their faces to realize that school and learning can be fun.

A is for Apple

Our brainstorming complete!

This week was all about letter A. First, we always talk about the sound the letter makes and then think of words that have that sound. You'll notice words like August and April or students names that don't have the 'a' sound like apple, but the students identified they all start with letter A. This was due to the fact that we have these things posted around the room for them to see. It was nice to see that they could identify letter A.

After we talk about the letter as a whole group, the students then journal. Depending on their level, some focus on writing the letter and some work on writing words that begin with the letter. This is done as a quiet activity so that students can focus. I whisper, "You may move on" after they have shown me some of A's they have drawn. They can then move on to writing words. If they move on to words, they must provide a quick sketch. For example, if they write the word apple they must then draw a picture of an apple. I really emphasized the word quick when I introduced this activity as I did not want the students spending too much time drawing. The students really like this as it lets them express their creativity with their drawings, but it lets me see where they are at with their writing.

Library before and after

After                            Before

We finally have a new library! We got rid of the big cart and added some cubbies. There are still a lot of books to put away, but this is more kid-friendly! I can't wait to post more pictures of the work were doing to room 4!

Letter M

The big letter M was done during whole group instruction, and the smaller M's were done individually by the students.

Learning all about M was a lot of fun! We sorted M and M candies into different colors, went on a scavenger hunt around the school to find things that started with letter M, and made our very own M's to decorate our classroom window with. I have a wide variety of ability levels and you can see that in the picture above. Some of my students were able to start writing words and other focused on how to write the letter. Before we started writing on our own M's, we circled the M's on our big classroom M paper.

Reading is so much fun, it will give you GOOSEBUMPS

Artwork done by the students.

The book fair was here while conferences were going on. The entire school participated in a door decorating contest. Only rule was that it had to have the saying, reading books is so much fun it will give you goosebumps. As you can see above, the students created puppet monsters. To give it more meaning, the students had to count the objects that they were using out loud to me. For example, one student used 5 eyes, 4 different markers, and 1 colored streamer. The students had a lot of fun creating them even though we did not win. I think they had even more fun saying that I looked like their monster. I now need to rethink my wardrobe :)

5 Senses

Musical instrument made by one of the students in room 4.

We spent an entire week learning all about our 5 senses. On Monday we listened to six different objects that were inside of blacked out containers. The students then had to draw a picture of what they thought might be inside the containers. We then had a whole group conversation discussing the different sounds we heard before revealing what was actually inside. They loved this!

On Tuesday we smelled different objects. We had to use words to describe what we thought it smelled like before we could guess. Did is smell sweet or sour? Did it burn our noses to smell? Did it smell good or bad? Many of the students guessed the smells right away! 

On Wednesday I put 10 objects on a tray to see. The students got into a line (this is a great way to practice standing in line with a bubble in our mouths and our hands behind our back) and walked by the tray. I then took away one of the objects and had the students walk back through trying to guess which object I took away. Some of my students surprised me as they knew each object I took away.

On Thursday we put our hands into paper sacks and had to describe what we were feeling. Was it soft or hard? Before we started, we discussed what different words meant like smooth or rough. It was a great activity to get kids talking and learning new words. I was surprised that some of them were so hesitant on putting their hands into a bag as they were scared of what was inside. To help, I also put my hand in the bag. If they were still hesitant, I did not push it.

And finally, on Friday, we were able to taste different foods. My kids begged me to buy Taki's, a spicy type of chip, as I had never tried them. If they sampled all the foods I brought for them to try, I promised I would try the Taki. The students sampled limes, bakers chocolate, different fruits, and some different flavored crackers. I then tried the Taki. It was unbelievably spicy! I guess that is what you get when you teach in the southwest. The students giggled as I started to sweat, but it was only fair as I laughed at their faces when they ate the lime.

I had a lot of fun learning with the students and getting away from paper pencils for a while. These students always seem to find a way to put a smile on my face.

We CAN grow!

Busy Students CAN Grow!

The students in room 4 have many sight words to learn this year. To help us better understand and learn the words, we're going to add an exciting twist. Not only did we learn about the word, we also focused on our fine motor skills. The students traced their hands, cut it out, and wrote 'I can cut' on the back. This was a huge task for the students, but they handled it well! 

In AZ, the sun quickly changed the color of our bulletin board paper. I apologize for the sun blocking part of the photo, and for the sun changing part of the coloring as well.

Safety First!

School Bus Safety!

Week 1 was filled with lots of rules and procedures. To add a little excitement, we colored some busses to help decorate the outside of our classroom. We talked about how to color and using colors that make sense. For being 5, they did a phenomenal job! I'm so excited for my first year of teaching to unfold.

Where do I begin?

From the first day of school to our first conferences, all I can say is that teaching is what I was meant to do. I've been so exhausted that I felt as though I couldn't function and I've been in tears because I felt like I had no clue what I was doing. All I know is that each day is different than the next, and we're finally figuring out how things work in room 4. 

Room 4 is getting some upgrades and we're rearranging the way things look. It's a bit messy, but I can't wait to show before and after pictures. In the meantime, I will be posting some of the work we will be doing. Enjoy!

-Mrs. Brown

Welcome to Kindergarten

The first day of Kindergarten is right around the corner! I've prepped, planned, and exhausted myself for this day. Stay tuned for pictures of the classroom as well as the activities we will be completing in room 4