Our New Document Camera!

 Today was most exciting for our writers!  They were able to present their published pieces of writing to their peers by using the document camera we just received from Donorschoose.org.  Each student presented his or her work to the class, pointing out the words they had written.  Others were able to ask questions and comment on the stories.  This document camera will see lots of use in our classrooms.

The class was also challenged by a puppet to show thirteen fingers or more.  The kids were quite vexed by this request until they were able to turn and talk with their partner to come up with a way to show a number of fingers in the teens.  We checked the numbers by first saying "ten," and then counting on from that number.  We learned it is much faster to start counting from your highest known quantity instead of starting from one.

The classes also participated in two apple science experiments.  One was to try to keep an apple from browning if it is cut.  The second was to discover what happens to an apple's mass when it is cut.  Ask your child about the results of these experiments.

 It was an apple kind of day!  The kids read about making applesauce, then MADE applesauce, then TASTED applesauce.  They made observational drawings of the inside of an apple.  Then we started a science experiment. We asked a question, just like a scientist;  made a prediction, just like a scientist; and measured and recorded data, just like a scientist.  I'll let the pictures tell the story.

Observational Drawings of the inside of an apple 

Tricky Teens and Apples

We had so much fun using the tricky teen numbers from 9-20.  The kids loved lining up  in numerical order.  Then we used a balance to measure the mass of an apple, unifix cubes to find the height of an apple, and then we used colored pencils to illustrate the apple.  The kids did a nice job showing the different colors apples can have.  Then we each picked one piece of writing to shine up like an apple.  We are almost finished with our first strand of writing lessons and we can't wait to pick one piece of writing to fix up and publish.

Counting Stickers

We got into some sticky counting today.  The kids had to fill a number chart with stickers, from 0-10.  They worked their fine motor skills as they counted out stickers for each number.  Then they checked their work to make sure the stickers ended up looking like stairs.  When they finished their work with stickers the kids enjoyed counting apple seeds and putting a clothes pin on the number they counted.  Then they flipped the card over to see if their clothes pin was on a dot marking the correct answer.  You should have heard the excitement when they checked their correct answers.

Look for a newsletter in your child's backpack tonight.  Have a super weekend!

Speech Bubbles, Leaves, and Shaving Cream

We have had so much fun today!  First we used shaving cream to make numbers.  This is a great way for you to practice making numbers at home as well.  Just squirt some shaving cream on a cookie sheet, spread it out, and make some numbers.  Then we took the leaves we collected and made observations.  Some of us arranged our leaves from the smallest to largest while others determined the size of their leaves with unifix cubes.

I thought the most exciting part of the day was when we used puppets to learn how important speech is in our writing.  We had puppets tell a story, then went to work making our characters talk in our own writing by using speech bubbles.  The best part of this workshop was when one student came up with a sentence that needed a super big speech bubble and several others rushed over to help him stretch out all the words in his long sentence.   It was amazing to sit back and watch the kids take the lead in their own writing.

Count on It!

Today we had fun playing counting games and number Bingo.  The class also went on a leaf hunt.  We will be using the leaves in math and science tomorrow.

In writing we are all stretching words out slowly so we can record all the sounds we hear.

Tomorrow we will be going to Morris Farm at 10:15 to harvest squash.  Please send your child to school with appropriate footwear.  

Firemen!

Today members of the Wiscasset Fire Department came to visit us.  They are community helpers who taught us about fire safety.  Some key points they would like us to remember:
*It's time to change the batteries in your smoke detector.
*Children should NEVER use a stove unsupervised.
*Children need reminders to NOT hide from firemen in the event of a fire.
*Families should practice fire drills at home and establish a family meeting place in case of a fire.

The firefighters would also like to see you at their open house this Saturday, October 12 from 11-1.  You can explore the trucks, play games, and kids can even get a free tee-shirt!

We also practiced stretching words out by saying them  s-l-o-w-l-y.  We have asked the kids to "chew up" the word and them say it slowly like pulling gum out of their mouths.  Ask your child to show you how to chew up the words and pull them out of their mouths tonight.

We looked at our graph from making stone soup today.  Once again, the class surprised me with their knowledge.  They compared the length of the the bar graphs, they told how many x's  one ingredient would need to equal another.  They used words like "height," and "equal."  Every day, it is a joy to come to kindergarten.

Stone Soup

 Wednesdays may be shorter, but they sure are packed with a great deal of fun.  Today we read a classic tale, Stone Soup.  The class loved reading along with me as the little old lady said, "Soup from a stone, fancy that."  Be sure to have your child say that quote, it is fun to hear their little old lady voices. After reading Stone Soup, we made stone soup with peas, corn, barley, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. As we waited for the pot (crock pot) to "bubble and bubble" each student was given their own "kindergarten friendly" version of Stone Soup.  They read the book as a whole group, and then broke into the KB and KR groups to practice retelling the story as they put the cut up paper ingredients into the bag.  Some of the photocopied ingredients were hard to identify, so the students used the initial consonant of the ingredient, written on it, to help them.  They also enjoyed helping the illustrator by finishing the black and white drawings with color.  I was amazed at how the children used the book to help them retell the story.

After recess and lunch it was time to sample our stone soup.  Many of the children enjoyed all the ingredients, but others weren't keen on certain ingredients.  Our class investigated what the favorite ingredients of stone soup were, just in case we decide to make it again.  To help us keep track of our data, we created a graph of how many students liked each ingredient.  Tomorrow we will look at the graph and talk about the information we can get from it.  Be ready to read all about the results tomorrow!

 P.S.  Stones aren't just for soup making, we can also sort them when we are done with our soup!

Snails, Stories and Spinners

We had a busy, busy day in kindergarten!  Our morning was packed with fairy tale action during Daily Five.  Then we drew nine objects in math and learned how to play a counting game. The kids each took turns with a partner and a spinner.  They spun a number between 1 and 10, then moved that many spaces on the game board. They all did a great job showing good sportsmanship while playing the game.

After we finished math, the class regrouped to help Ms. Roper tell a story about the snail she found.  They helped her REVISE her story and add to her picture and words.  Once they helped Ms. Roper, they helped each other REVISE.  The children shared their stories with a partner and then the partner asked questions to get more detail into the story.  My favorite question came from one pair where the writer shared his picture and the partner asked, "Where are his arms?"  It is exciting to watch kindergarten students help one another REVISE their work.

When the writers put away their stories with beginnings, middles and ends, they put on their scientist hats and observed snails.  We learned how to use magnifying glasses and draw what we saw, not what we thought was cute.  For instance, the snails do not have smiley faces. The students were thrilled to watch their snails move and leave a trail.  One student even remarked, "My snail trail is a 'C'!"  It was a busy, busy day in kindergarten.

Obstacle Courses and Snails

Today we explored direction words in math.  We read a book about elephants who soared in a hot air balloon over, under, between, below, and next to objects.  The best part of our lesson came next with an obstacle course where the kids practiced moving, using the direction words, through the classroom.  When a student was stuck, and not knowing what to do, the class loved telling the child how to move through the obstacle.

We also met our new class pet, a snail.  We read a non-fiction book about forest animals, using the index to figure out where we would read about the snail.  We compared and contrasted what the snail would need to survive to what people need to survive.  Then we went outside and found some natural materials the snail would need to survive.

Fairy Tales and Special Rides

Today one of our kinders was brought to Library by our principal, Mrs. Schlein.  He had brought back a ticket from the PTA fundraiser and his name was drawn to ride in the "principal taxi."  After all that excitement we read a book called "Falling for Rapunzel."  The class was thrilled when the damsel in distress kept hearing the prince incorrectly and launched several icky objects down to him.  After reading the story, we practiced retelling it using the beginning, middle and end. We also talked about what a fairy tale community would need to function and then made those items. Our community is now filled with power lines, school busses, gardens, forests, dress shops, and schools.

Our math lesson was so much fun today.  We put our shape blocks in a sock then took turns grabbing one shape at time from the sock.  The kids guessed what shape they had pulled and then we recorded how many times each shape was pulled.  The pulling of shapes from the socks produced several squeals of delight and I thought, "Wow, kids could do this at home with letters, numbers, coins, or shapes."  Try throwing some letters in an old sock (preferably long, and clean) and take turns guessing what letter is in your hand.  Have some fun with it and let me know how it works when you write in the Home-School notebook.  Enjoy the weekend!

Fairy Tale Houses and Reading with Fourth Grade Buddies

Today we talked about the setting of fairy tales and everyone made a fairy tale house.  Then our fourth grade buddies came in for a fun Read to Someone time.  It was a great day.