Peek-a-Booooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

I love the month of October in Kindergarten.  Everything about Kindergarten is in full swing.  The kiddos have transitioned well into school and into our routines.  The fun we have with our October artwork is - well- just great fun!  This activity was pinterest inspired.  I used the poem Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater and changed the words a bit.  I took pictures of my Kinderkids as if they were lifting the lid off of a pumpkin and - well- see for yourself... I know they will make you smile!!!!

I am  not sure why but after several attempts I could not get this little pumpkin to stand up straight!





It's Zero the Hero Day!!!

Every ten days the Kinderkids in Winside get a special visit from one of my very special friends --- Zero the Hero.  Zero the Hero LOVES the numbers that end in zero.  He will very quietly - some how without anyone noticing - hide somewhere in our classroom and then surprise us all as we discover him during our day!!!  It is such a delight to hear the squeals of "He's here!  Zero the Hero is here!!!"  Zero is very shy so he will whisper to me special messages to the boys and girls.  He will have me ask them about our special number and have them count for him.  As a treat for all of their hard work, he brings the kiddos a special something to snack on in the shape of a zero while we work in our Zero the Hero books.  It is always sad to see him leave but the boys and girls know he will be back in ten more days!



                       The kiddos posing with Zero the Hero!

                             A close up of our favorite visitor!

                               Our Zero the Hero book (A great find from a wonderful kindergarten teacher from South Dakota, Kathleen Petersen)

Do we have fun in Kindergarten or what!!!!!  Oh yes we do ---- because KINDERGARTEN ROCKS!!!!

September Math Stations

As a part of our Math block, the boys and girls will be working from our Math tubs.  The boys and girls will work independently on current math skill or reviewing past skills.  During this time I will be working with the boys and girls on their AR or their Accelerated Math.  I will change the activities each month.  Here's a look at what the boys and girls were working on for the month of September:

Roll the foam dice and color in the number.

Making ABABAB patterns using beads.

Roll the shape dice and color in the shape it lands on.

Making patterns with apples and coloring in the patterns.

Counting sets and finding the matching number then writing the numbers.

Read to Self

I put together book bags for my kiddos to read from during our daily Read to Self time.  This is when the boys and girls read quietly to themselves building their stamina so they can be able to read independently for 15 minutes.  While the kiddos are reading this is when boys and girls who are ready will be able to go on the computers to take their AR tests.  It works out beautifully!  Inside each book bag are ABC books (a good fit for my kinders at this time - these books will change as their skill set changes) their "reading glasses", and a pointer finger to help with tracking.  Here they are in action but I must confess I threw off all chances of building more stamina time by going around snapping pictures - oh well - I knew you would enjoy seeing your SUPER READERS in training!  

Building Stamina

OK my kinders know they ARE readers and they have the knowledge to pick out books. Now we need to build our stamina to become SUPER READERS!  The boys and girls looked at me with such confusion as I used that weird word "stamina" a few times and then they finally asked as best as they could pronounce it --- what is stamina?  Stamina is that you do that takes a long time but you never give up!  You keep working hard until you make your goal.  To illustrate my point, I read the book Dex The Heart of a Hero. In the story, Dex is a small dog who wants to be a super hero.  He knows in order to be a super hero he needs to become strong, so he exercises each day adding a few more laps, a few more push ups until he makes his goal and becomes a super hero!  I must say the kiddos caught on very quickly.  I shared with the class that we were going to build our stamina as readers by reading by ourselves a few minutes each day and keep track as we built up our stamina as quiet independent readers with our good fit books!  Our goal - 15 minutes!!!  So the stage has been set we are on our way!!  Before you know it they WILL be SUPER READERS!!! 

Our stamina charts

Our goal - 15 minutes



Is It A Good Fit?

The foundation has been set on how to read a book.  The next lesson focused on how to pick out a book that was just the right fit.  The kiddos loved this lesson! This lesson was adapted from the Daily Five book I have been reading and following as I use it in my classroom.   I packed a bag with some of my shoes and brought them to school.  I showed them to my boys and girls.  We talked about when I would wear my shoes and why.  For example, I would never wear my heels to run in, that is not the purpose of those shoes.  I would run in my tennis shoes.  It was such a fun discussion full of giggles!  I compared to the purpose of my shoes to how we pick out books we read --- books also have a purpose --- is it to learn something new, hear hear a familiar story, or to read for fun.  We then discussed that when we select a book it should be about something we like ---- kind of like picking out a pair of shoes we like.  Which is what I did with each pair of my shoes!  Next we have to make sure the book is a good fit for us ---- not too hard to read, not too easy, just right.  You guessed it, just like a pair of shoes needs to fit right or YUCK!!!!  Not comfortable at all!!!  Lastly, does the book selected help you for what you want to learn about.  After our discussion and me modeling the heels to my kinders delight and the dismay of my tired feet (the shoes were from my daughter's wedding!) I read the story Dog In Boots to the kiddos.  A funny story about a dog who goes through many pairs of shoes for different purposes finally realizing his paws were just the perfect fit for him!!! 



Becoming Super Readers!

A big part of Kindergarten  is reading, reading and more reading!  Sadly, many of my kinders come in believing they aren't readers when in fact they are!  Within the first week of school, I begin my lessons on the 3 ways my kiddos CAN read a book.  They are: using pictures to "read" the book, using pictures to retell a favorite story, using words to read the book.  Once my kiddos say "Wow!  I AM a reader!", we focus on how to pick out books that are just right for them.  Sprinkles to my kindergarten when they knew ABC books were just right for them because they knew their ABC's. (I told you I was a lucky teacher!)  All of this took about 8 days of teaching.  I was so proud of my kiddos ... they were on their way to becoming SUPER READERS!

I read this book to the boys and girls explaining why we want to become SUPER READERS!