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.