Christmas Books

We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas.  We have a great class who loves to learn.  We have a staff who enjoys sing alongs.  We also have a wonderful parent group at school who wrapped a book for every student to open.  Thank you PIE for the amazing gift of reading.  The kids were already cozy in their pajamas as they dove into their new books.  They kept coming up to me, pointing out all the sight words they had discovered.   They found words on their song sheets as well.  We had a warm and cozy day before vacation, drinking hot cocoa and eating oranges, cuddled up and reading.  Merry Christmas to all!

Kids Take Over the Learning!

Today the kids came in and grabbed some construction paper.  Then all our plans went out the window.  They came up with such great ideas we let them take charge of their own learning.  The results included tome patterned necklaces, everyone's foot being traced, compared, and hung as a foot garland, a tower of blocks from a book being reproduced in the classroom, secret books being written, and cooperation everywhere.  Then, in the afternoon the kids watched Rudolph with a special job, to look carefully at the characters.  They all discussed the characters throughout the movie, noted some bucket dipping parts and some bucket filling parts.  Then they worked in teams to draw different characters.  Take a look at the pictures and see the fun.

Polar Express and Math

We read the Polar Express today.  The kids had some experience with the movie, and were able to draw comparisons, and differences to the book.  We all turned to talk with a partner throughout the book,  making connections, talking about the character's feelings, and discussing the meaning of the word "lurch."

After the book was read, everyone took a train with numbers on it.  Then they rolled two diced and counted the sum of the dots.  They found that number on the train and colored it in.  We problem solved what to do if we got the same number twice.  The kids came up with great solutions like, "Color it again,"  "Check it to see if you could color it better,"  "Do nothing,"  and "Use a different color."

We went outside for recess and the kids had a great time playing in the snow.  Every child needs to bring a hat, mittens, snow pants, and boots to school EVERY DAY.  Even if the morning is super cold, by recess time it might be warm enough to go outside.  I want all the kiddos to be nice and warm so they can enjoy their recess.  Speaking of snow gear, I find that it helps to put ALL the snow gear in a reusable HANNAFORD bag, the kind right at the cash registers (they are the ones big enough, stand up on their own, and are easy to carry).  If the bag is labeled with your child's name, just like ALL the items inside the bag, it makes getting ready for recess and departure MUCH easier.  The kids can just grab their bags, go to a place with lots of space, and get ready.  They won't be all cramped by their cubbies.  This will also make it easier for your child to carry gear from home to school instead of trying to cram it into a backpack.  Please try to have one of the bags with your child's gear in it after Christmas break.

Cozy Pajama Day Reminder

Cozy Pajama Day

December 20

Dear Families,

Kindergarten is excited to celebrate Cozy Pajama Day on Friday, December 20.  We will spend the day reading Christmas stories, doing crafts, caroling and enjoying some hot chocolate.  The kids will be given small gifts from their teachers, but are not expected to exchange gifts with each other.  Please send your child to school with pajamas that will be comfortable and appropriate to wear all day.  You may also wish to send a change of street clothes should he or she tire of the pajamas.  We are looking forward to our cozy day.

Christmas In Australia and Pan Balances

This is the "razzamatazz" crown we made to celebrate Christmas in Australia.  The kids learned that it is summertime right now and kids are out on their summer break.  Christmas dinner there could be a barbecue.  We learned that the folks in Australia enjoy using glitz and tinsel to celebrate their Christmas.  We decided to use tinsel to make crowns.  The kids had a wonderful time wearing their razzamatazz crowns.

We also used pan balances again.  This time we used clay to match the mass of different shells.  Some shells used just a little dot of clay while others needed more clay to equal the mass.  I wish you could have heard the conversations today.  Kids were trying one piece of clay, evaluating the amount they put on by checking the balance and then saying things like, "That's too much mass on the clay side."  Then they tweaked the amount of clay by taking off just a little at a time until the balance was horizontal, not diagonal (their words, not mine).  

Discussing Stories

We read the book "Cinderella's Rat" today.  Then we each partnered up with a copy of the book.  The kids retold the story by looking at the pictures and retelling it. When the kids each retold the story they each put a post-it on their favorite part of the story. All the kids had an opportunity to tell each other about their favorite part.  Then we all wrote down all the sight words we could find in the story.  The kids were amazed at how many words they could read in the story.

Hanukkah Traditions

We had a great time exploring Hanukkah traditions today.  The kids learned how to spin the dreidel, they shredded potatoes to make latkes and then made menorahs.  We read how one family celebrates Hanukkah and then compared our family holiday traditions.  The kids all tried the latkes, but only a few liked them.  They all enjoyed the applesauce.  We ended the day with our fourth grade reading buddies.  It was a lovely day.