Recipe for a Forest

Last Friday we visited Hubbard Park and did our Nature Adventure Program activities there. It was a gloriously fun day (the first NAP day without rain!) and the children had a wonderful time.

 We rambled through the fields and forest, exploring streams, trees, plants, soil and animals. One group of students even saw a pair of deer!

We discussed the ingredients necessary for a healthy forest and then went looking for samples to show to the group.

We walked all the way to the park and back to the school. We climbed, explored and played running games. At the end of the day the students were quite exhausted...

It was so much fun to spend a morning in the outdoors, getting fresh air and exercise while we learned. We look forward to our next adventure!

Fun Friday!

Today we put on a play about the first Thanksgiving. The students also put on a variety show that featured sun princesses, pet giraffes, spies, knights and numerous other characters. We made books, practiced writing letters, and read with our second grade book buddies. We interrupted Math for a few minutes when we saw snow falling outside... we just had to run around in the swirling flakes and catch some on our tongues. Priorities, you know.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Photos from the School Thanksgiving Dinner

Today's Math Activity

Today we worked on estimating and representing. The children estimated and then counted how many dinosaur counters they could grab from a container. They represented the number on a sheet of paper containing a handprint. We then looked at the handprints to find out which represented the smallest number and which represented the largest number. Then they compared two handprints, figuring out which had more and thinking about how many more that handprint showed.

I also told the fairy tale "Seven at One Blow" to show how important it is to indicate the unit of measure you are using!

Partner Reading

The children practice their reading skills in several ways. One approach is to read with a partner.

There are several ways to partner read, depending on the needs of the learner. Sometimes students partner up with a more advanced reader so that they can practice reading fluently; other times students with similar reading processes work together on a book.

However they do it, the students in our class work wonderfully together and show a lot of respect, compassion and patience for their classmates!

New Computer!

I finally got a new computer, one that runs much faster than the aged eMac I was using before. Now it will be easy to update this blog on a regular basis! Here are some photos from the last few weeks:

From a rainy outing with the Nature Adventure Program:

From an adaptation of "Little Red Riding Hood" written and performed by the students:

Reading with partners:

From an excursion into town to look for sights and sounds of autumn:

More photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/111126617517323002973

Author Study: Eric Carle

Over the past few weeks we read several books written and/or illustrated by Eric Carle. The children loved his stories. We started to pay close attention to the elements in his work that made him an effective storyteller. We examined and discussed his style of illustrating and also noted recurrent themes in his story subject matter. Then we employed these techniques to create our own "mini-stories". We worked together to make art that mimicked Mr. Carle's painting style and then we assembled story collages using scraps of this community paper.

Off to a Great Start!

We’ve had a great three weeks! The kids are adjusting well to being in kindergarten. They are learning to work and play together and learning how to be responsible members of the larger school community. I even got a card from their P.E. teacher, Mrs. Gorman, commending them on how well they work together as a group: “A big thank you to you and your class for the best first day ever with a group in 37 years. Wow, what a treat!”

Today the students finalized their own list of rules for the classroom.  They've spent a lot of time discussing the need for rules in communities. They've also discussed the particular needs of OUR classroom community. They eventually created a list of eighteen rules, which some students thought was a bit much to remember! So this morning the class boiled the list down to four essential rules:

1. Talk Nicely

2. Wait Your Turn

3. Be Safe

4. Use Things the Right Way

Welcome!

I'll be sending news and updates through this blog.