hkidshighlights

Awards Ceremony

2012-01-31T18:40:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all the families that joined us for our 2nd 9-week awards ceremony this morning. We love to see a room full of parents celebrate their children's successes. We appreciate all you do to help our class.

It has been a busy week

2012-01-27T18:39:00.000-08:00

Well this was the first week in the 3rd nine week period. At this time of the year we are beginning to talk to the kids about getting closer to first grade. June will be here before we know it.

We have been working hard on bossy e words and reviewing short vowel sounds. Vowels such as e and i can be very difficult for kids to master so we have been working on distinguishing those sounds. Today we took a spelling test where where students had to spell CVC words (consonant /vowel/ consonant words such as fat). In Reader's Workshop we have been reviewing our Reading Strategies that we have learned and how we can use these strategies together to help us become good readers. This week the students had to prove what strategy they worked on during our closing. It was great to see them using strategies such as familiar word families, WOW words, and small words inside big words. In Writer's Workshop we have been continuing writing small moments. We have been reinforcing adding details to our stories as well as writing in lowercase letters, spacing between our words, and stretching our words out so that we hear all the sounds. In Math we have been working on measurement. Today the students continued practicing measure different lengths with Popsicle sticks and comparing their findings with others. Measurement is a fun thing to practice at home - which one is longer/shorter? Which one is heavier/lighter? Which one is bigger/ smaller? Which one holds more? In science we have started discussing force and motion. Ask your child what types of things at home they can find that push/pull. January also included our social studies discussion on Martin Luther King. Check out our Standards Board to see the great work that we did as we learned about this great leader.

Now that we are done testing we are on to new and exciting things. Make sure you check planners daily for upcoming information such as 100th day of school on February 3rd and our Valentine's Day Exchange on February 14th.

It's Mrs. Wright's Birthday!

2012-01-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

January has been a month for birthdays. Not only was it Courtney's birthday but it was Mrs. Wright's too! We had a small celebration where the kids presented her with a stack of cards while they ate ice cream. We also made her a flower pot that was decorated by all the kids. She was very surprised and loved it. Thank you for helping us make her day special.

Carmen Agra Deedy

2012-01-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

On Friday we had a wonderful visit from Carmen Agra Deedy. She is an amazing story teller. We spent the week reading many of her stories. Below are the stories we read - they can easily be found at any bookstore or library if you would like to share them with your child.

It Was a Feast!

2011-12-11T17:28:00.001-08:00

Thank you to all our families that came to our Family Holiday Lunch on Wednesday. We had a wonderful time and really enjoyed seeing all our families. We hope that everyone had a chance to talk to other families and get to know each other a little better.

The next week will be busy as we are finishing up some reading assessments as well as reviewing before the holiday break. We will be sending home books with the kids over the break so that they can read when they have some free time.

We will be having our Winter party on Wednesday morning along with Chick - fil -a for lunch. We would love for any parents to join us if they are available.

Make sure you check the blog before break for pictures from the week's events.

POW WOW centers

2011-11-20T18:01:00.001-08:00

POW WOW centers on PhotoPeach

POW WOW

2011-11-20T17:51:00.001-08:00

POW WOW ceremony on PhotoPeach

POW WOW week

2011-11-20T17:42:00.001-08:00

POW WOW week on PhotoPeach

Mrs. Phillips is Stuck on Reading

2011-11-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

Now that is what I call stuck on reading! This week Mrs. Phillips was duct taped to the wall in honor of reading. In an effort to make sure that all kids reach their Million Word Campaign this year, she has plans to celebrate each 9 weeks in a way to motivate kids. All students that reached his/her goal this 9 week period were treated to seeing Mrs. Phillips duct taped to the wall for 2 hours. Of course she made good use of her time by reading! We can't wait to see what the reward for reading will be for the 2nd nine weeks!

Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkin

2011-11-13T17:12:00.001-08:00

Last week we finished our Pumpkin Unit in Science. What a great couple weeks we had learning about them. What colors can a pumpkin be? What are some names of pumpkins? How big do pumpkins get? How do pumpkins grow? Do pumpkins sink or float? We also used math as we learned about pumpkins. We made estimations on the circumference of our pumpkins and measured things using paper pumpkins. We even carved a pumpkin out to see what it looked like on the inside. We ended our unit with a 5 senses unit on about pumpkins. Here are some highlights from the unit. '

Fall Party

2011-10-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Here are the highlights from our Fall Party after Literary Parade. The kids had a great day filled with fun Fall activities.

Fall Party on PhotoPeach

Math Centers

2011-10-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

Last week we began our Math Centers. This is a time that students work on previous lessons that reinforce what they have already learned. Students work individually but complete the same game as their friends at their table. The best part about centers is that the kids don't even realize they are learning! Here are some highlights from our centers.

A Special Guest

2011-10-14T04:45:00.000-07:00

Last week Mr. Dygan, our Speech Pathologist, brought a special guest to our room. Tiger, a Kenyan Sand Boa, was actually familiar to Mrs. Harbour. This Kenyan Sand Boa was actually her son Matt's snake for many years. As Matt became older he realized he would not be able to take care of Tiger and would be leaving for college so he asked Mr. Dygan, a well known snake lover, to adopt her. The kids were able to learn a little bit about this type of snake, come up to touch her, as well as how to be safe if they come across a snake. Thank you Mr. Dygan for a great teachable moment!

Reading Strategies

2011-10-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

Although many kindergarteners are not ready to read at this point of the year, we are learning new reading strategies that support even our beginning readers. This last week we focused very hard at looking at the pictures as our first strategy. Students are learning that whenever they are reading a book, simple or hard, that the pictures are important. Pictures support our text. In early emergent books the pictures directly tie to the words on the page. As students grow as readers, the pictures don't tell what is on the page, they support what text is on the page. When they begin reading chapter books they will know how to create those mental images of what the illustration would look life if there was one since they have grown to associate the pictures with text over time. Students will learn to describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear. Make sure that when you are reading with your child you take a picture walk prior to reading. What a great way to engage in conversation about what will happen in the story.

Blending sounds

2011-09-26T19:33:00.000-07:00

One of favorite activities in skills block is blending words. Last week we played "Guess that Word". Kids listen to a set of individual sounds and blend them together to make a word. Then they find the picture that matches. You can play this game even without pictures. Here are some examples of words you can use:

p-a-t
r-o-d
t-i-p
s-u-n
g-r-a-ss
s-t-o-p
b-i-k-er
t-a-b-le

Science All Around

2011-09-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

Last week we started our new unit in Science - Our 5 Senses. This is an exciting unit as kids learn how to make observations all around them. We began our unit with a simple piece of popcorn. The kids were able to see, smell, and touch their popcorn. Then the best part of all came when they were able to taste it! That's when they could finally hear the popcorn too. As a group we discussed all the ways we could describe one simple piece. This is a fun activity that you can do at home with your child! Now that we have learned about all our senses, ask your child what their senses are and what part of our body we use with them.

Open House

2011-09-16T03:16:00.001-07:00

Thank you to all the families that joined us last night for Open House. It was so nice to see many moms and dads (and grandma's too). We hope that it was informative yet fun. The kids were very excited about showing your their work and around our room. We look forward to a great year!

Back To Football Friday

2011-09-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Back to Football Friday. Students can wear their favorite team clothing. If students buy lunch tomorrow they are able to choose from grilled hamburgers and hotdogs from the cafeteria. There will also be free cheese sticks for all students sponsored by the Dairy Council.

Can't wait to see everyone's football spirit!

Skills Block

2011-09-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

Well we are starting our 3rd week of school. By now the kids are starting to really get settled in the routine. In our Skills Block we are heavily working on phonemic awareness (how do sounds work together to make words). We are working on our nursery rhyme unit and so the kids are learning a new nursery rhyme each week. Last week we finished Jack and Jill. We also work on this through our Star Student activities. Make sure you ask your child who was Star Student for the day and what words begin with that same sound. This is a great opportunity to reinforce what letters / sounds we are working on in class at home each day.

And We're Off!

2011-08-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

What a great first week of school we had. We were busy getting to know our friends, learning our way around the school, and focusing on our rituals and routines. Our first day was exciting with our special guest Omegaman. Last week we began our Star Student in our Skills Block. During this time we celebrate the students in our class through phonemic awareness activities.

Each week we will be celebrating our class through the blog. We will periodically post pictures, write students ideas and thoughts, display student work, and relay what we have been doing in the classroom. I will try to update you through email that the blog has been updated but you can also sign up for it to update you automatically.

This week we had hoped to post pictures from last week but we am having trouble getting them through. We will try to post them again this week so make sure you check back frequently.

We look forward to a great year together as we get to know your child.

It's the end of the year...

2011-06-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

As always, the end of the year quickly approaches. With that comes the busy schedule to finish testing, finish teaching every bit we can, get grades organized, squeeze in Parent's Brunch, get ready for end of the year awards celebration, along with 20 other things. Therefor the one thing that takes a back seat is blogging. We hope to see all of you on Tuesday, June 7th for our awards. It will be a memorable event and the kids are looking forward to it. We hope you have had as great of a year as we have.

Bye Bye Ladybugs

2011-05-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

On Friday we release our class ladybugs. It was great to see how they grew from a larvae into a beautiful ladybug. Here are our last pictures of our ladybugs.

Spring Celebration

2011-04-27T03:55:00.001-07:00

What a great time we had Thursday with our egg hunt. It only took 20 minutes to find 432 eggs. Here are some quick pictures of the hunt.

Earth Day Celebration

2011-04-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

First Graders Love Kevin Henkes

2011-03-20T06:17:00.000-07:00

What a great day we had on Friday celebrating one of our favorite authors - Kevin Henkes! We started off our day making purple plastic purses with some nifty ties for the boys. We also made some movie star glasses! They all turned out great. Then we went and had cheesy snacks while we watched a Kevin Henkes video of three of his books. Next we did all kinds of fun worksheets about his books. Our last station was bingo. We had a blast finding different answers on our bingo boards about his books and his life. We could have played forever. For lunch we came back to our room and had cheesy pizza and chips - our favorite. For our afternoon we had a great performance of Reader's Theatre for all our parents and one set of kindergarteners. The kids did a great job and the performance went off perfectly. Thank you to all the parents who have supported us through this 5 week unit of study. The kids have learned so much. Here are some highlights from our day.

Reader's Theatre

2011-03-15T16:00:00.001-07:00

Friday is quickly approaching and we are very excited for our Kevin Henkes Celebration Day. Just a reminder that you are invited to join us for our Reader's Theatre performance in the media center at 1:15. We look forward to seeing you.

Kevin Henkes Author Study

2011-03-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

Throughout the author study we have been reading as many of his books as we can. One of the great things through this unit are retellings. We practice these through many different ways. Making puppets and retelling stories with them is so much fun for the kids. They love being creative and putting their own thoughts into the puppets. They were great! In class we have used them to do retellings with their friends. These stories are the same ones that many of them have done a retelling on in Writer's Workshop as well. Here are a couple of our friends with their puppets.

Computer Math Games

2011-02-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

Looking for some fun games for your child to reinforce skills we have been working on in class? Check out these websites that focus on number words and time.

http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/match/dragflip.asp?filename=donofrio-numberwords

http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/match/dragflip.asp?filename=donofrio-numberwords2

text to graphic match(o'clock): http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/StopTheClock/sthecR.html

hour and half hour: http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/StopTheClock/sthec1.html

15 min intervals: http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/StopTheClock/sthec2.html

5 min intervals: http://www.oswego.org/ocsd-web/games/StopTheClock/sthec3.html

Barnyard Bingo

2011-02-21T20:35:00.001-08:00

Did you hear about the Bingo Party on Thursday? All students that met their reading goal for the 2nd 9 weeks were treated to Barnyard Bingo with Mrs. Phillips. Each student was given a bingo board with farm related pictures. Then our own Mrs. Phillips would call out the name of the pictures. Each child walked out a winner with some chosen prize. The kids had a great time and even wrote Mrs. Phillips thank you cards for the great party. Here are some highlights:

Aren't they cute?

2011-02-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

Last week we were treated to a special visit from some newborn chicks. The 5th grade team took part in the incubation of the chicken eggs over the course of a couple weeks. Once they were hatched they shared their new babies with our classroom. The kids had a ton of questions and our patrols did a great job of answering their questions. Here are some pictures from their visit with two of my previous students.

First Graders Making Connections

2011-02-08T11:30:00.000-08:00

This week we started our Kevin Henkes author study. In Writer's Workshop, we have been making connections to his books. Today we read Owen. Here are some of our favorite connections:

Simran:
This book Owen reminds me of when Owen doesn't give up his blanket and always wants his blanket Fuzzy. I remember when I was almost four years old and I was still on a bottle and my mom and dad said that O needed to stop the bottle and now I am six and I stopped the bottle. Then I am going to turn seven on April fifteenth and that is how Owen is.

Jennifer:
Have you read the book Owen by Kevin Henkes? That story reminds me when I was a little girl and I had a stuffed bunny. He was pink and white. It was my sisters. She got to big for her so she gave it to me and now it is mine. In the part of this story when Owen didn't want to give it up his blanket because he loved it.

Prabhmeeka:
This book Owen by Kevin Henkes reminds me when Owen did not want to give his blanket away because Owen was to big for the blanket and my sister giver her shirt because she is too big for her shirt and now I am wearing her shirt like Owen. The end.

It's the 100th Day of School for First Graders

2011-02-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

WOW! What a fun and exciting day we had for our 100th day of school. We had a great time dressing up as if we were 100 years old. I am not sure if the kids or the teachers had more fun. Our day was full of 100 day activities such as writing 100 words we know, completing a 100 day book, reading lots of 100 day stories, making hats, doing 100 exercises, and eating 100 snacks. We even had a quick surprise visit from Zero the Hero. Here are our little ones dressed up as 100 year olds.

We all have needs...

2011-01-30T20:04:00.001-08:00

Last week in Science we were so busy. We began our week learning about what pets need in order to survive. The following day we learned that wild animals need the same things that our pets do. We played a great game called Oh Deer where we learned how the population of an animal is dependent on the amount of its resources. We also learned through this that we humans can impact the survival of animals if we take away its needed resources. One example discussed was how we cut down the trees in our area to make room for stores and homes. We used this information to lead us to many discussions. The next day we learned that ocean animals have the same needs as land animals. They too need water, food, air, and space/shelter. We were able to see a live lobster, hermit crab, and starfish! It was so cool. Then we watched a lot of video clips of these animals as they caught their food and found shelter. We also learned how all these animals breathe under water. Finally we discussed what we can do to help the animals in our area meet their needs (specifically birds). We decided to make bird houses from miscellaneous items. They turned out GREAT! We will be finishing them on Monday and eventually putting them out in the trees around our school.

We had a great week and I hope that the students went home to tell you each day what we were learning. Our standards board this month showcases the whole week. Our birdhouses will be hanging in the hall this week as well. I hope that you can find time to run by our classroom and see the great work we did. Here are some added highlights of our week.

First Grade Sleepover 2011

2011-01-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

After a long day of trying to get all our Sleepover pictures uploaded I have finally been successful. It was a great unit of study and we learned so much about our solar system. The culminating event was fabulous! Here are the highlights of our Family Night and Sleepover Event.

Our Solar System Pillows

2011-01-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

Here are the kids with their sleepover pillows...they were fantastic!

Water Water Everywhere

2011-01-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

Living in Florida means being around an immense amount of water. During the summer we want to be in the water all the time. But for many kids they have not learned how dangerous water can be. One of our 1st grade science standards is how to be safe in and around water. Last week we learned about all the different places we are in or near water such as pools, oceans, ponds, lakes, rivers, and waterparks. At the beginning of our unit, we brainstormed all we knew about water...which to be honest...wasn't very much. Then we watched a great video that sang a song about water and how we need to be safe in and around water. As a follow up to that, students explored different types of water scenarios and recorded how to be safe around that water location. Each group was asked to present their posters. When we finished, we discussed how each area may have different things that we need to be aware of and that no matter what there are certain rules we always must follow to be safe. The kids not only learned valuable information that may save them or someone else, but enjoyed learning how to teach others about water safety as well. I hope that this information will be a lifelong unit for them.

Lessons from a Master

2010-12-12T19:10:00.000-08:00

On Friday we were lucky to have a demo presented by Karate America. They came to talk about different techniques they teach and what is important rules to learn in order to be successful and meet our goals in life. One of our own students takes lessons here and was proud to be an assistant during the presentation. Here are some picture highlight from our morning.

Our Holiday Feast

2010-12-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all the families that joined us on Friday for our Holiday Feast. It was so nice to see so many moms, dads, siblings, and grandparents join us. We appreciate all your continued support.

First Grade Contraction Action

2010-12-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple weeks we have been working very hard on learning lots of contractions. Here is a quick video of the kids singing "Contraction Action". Have them sing along as you watch!

http://vimeo.com/17647895

Drop us a comment and let us know what you think.

Cookies with Auntie Claus

2010-12-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

On Friday we were treated to a special event - cookies and a story with Auntie Claus. We began by coming into the media center and getting to sing Christmas songs. The kids actually know a lot of the words! Then students sat and listened as "Auntie Claus" read her book Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas. The kids were thrilled to listen to the story and watch it on the big screen as she read. When she was done, they received cookies and milk. We sat by the Christmas tree in the front lobby and enjoyed our special treat. Here are some pictures of our afternoon.

What are you thankful for?

2010-11-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

During this time of year, we can't help but think about all the blessings that we have to be thankful for. Many times, we get caught up in our busy schedules and we don't take the time to slow down and think about all that we do have. We are thankful everyday to get to share in your child's lives and to watch them grow. We hope that this holiday weekend you are able to enjoy your family and all your blessings. Happy Thanksgiving.

Inferring in First Grade

2010-11-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

This week our reading strategy is inferring. We have been listening to different scenarios and inferring what information is not given to us. Here are some examples of scenarios we have been working with:

In the morning, we noticed that the trees were uprooted and homes were missing their rooftops
1.What can you infer from this?
2.What words helped you to infer?
3.What do you know in your head that helped you to infer?

The boys poked holes in the lids of the jars. They went outside to look around the yard. “There’s one!” said Bobby. “Now let’s find one for you!”
1.What can you infer from this?
2.What words helped you to infer?
3. What do you know in your head that helped you to infer?

Mom gave Matt and Josh lunch money and walked them to the bus. When the bus came they got on with all the other children and waved goodbye to Mom.
1.What can you infer from this?
2.What words helped you to infer?
3. What do you know in your head that helped you to infer?

Skills Stations

2010-11-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

This week we have made some new changes to our schedule. To begin we will now be doing Skills Stations on Wednesdays for about 20 minutes. Today was our first day and what a fabulous job they did. Each group will have a set of activities they will be working on that is a review of skills we have done in class. All students in each group will be working on the same activity. Each week they will rotate and complete a different skill. Here were the skills we focused on today.

Blends Match

Synonym Concentration

Rhyming Concentration

Short Vowel Bingo

Rhyming Concentration

Synonym Bingo

Reader's Workshop

2010-11-15T18:22:00.001-08:00

This week we began working on inferring as a reading strategy. Today the kids learned that in order to be a good reader, we need to know how to infer the information that is not directly given to us in the text. As they become better readers, they will need to learn how to use what they know to understand what is not directly stated. Today we practiced basic sentences to help us understand what it means to infer. Here is a couple samples from our lesson today:

My sister and I share a room. We are twins. Sometimes we wear each other’s clothes.
The speaker is ________________.

My son has two children. They visit me every summer. I bake them cookies and take them to the zoo. We have a great time!
The speaker is _________________.

This divides my yard from the yard next door. It is made of wood. I cannot see over it.
The object is ________________________.

I wear these when it is cold. I have a red one and a blue one. My mom has one for the sun.
The object is _______________________.

Each day we will look at text and learn how to infer what the sentence/passage is about. Ask your child how we are learning about inference as a reader.

Literacy Parade and Fall party

2010-11-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

Friday was such a busy day. We had a great time dressing up as our favorite characters. We did some fun crafts and enjoyed some yummy treats. Here are some of the pictures from our day.

Earth's Surface

2010-10-27T18:47:00.001-07:00

The great thing about having a blog is that you can post all the wonderful things kids are doing and learning in the class. Leave it to the students to anticipate the posting of an activity that was done today because they are so excited to show it off. I was so happy to see a blog comment asking why our science projects weren't posted yet that we completed today. So Jennifer and Tracey...here you go. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

In class we have been learning about the Earth's surface. We have discussed how water and land make up our planet Earth and that water makes up most of the Earth. While discussing land we learned about different types of soil, mountains, volcanoes, hills, rocks, and how these all form the land we live on. As an extend project, students were asked to work as a group and decide how they would like to illustrate their section of the Earth. They were given dirt, sand, clay, pebble, and molding clay. Once they determined what they were going to do, they were sent back to their seats to create what they had envisioned. It was a messy project but a fun one as well. The kids really had to work together and be able to explain what was on the surface. Here are the pictures from our day.

Mem Fox Celebration

2010-10-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

What a busy day we had Friday. We began with a live skype to Australian to talk to a 2nd grade teacher. That was really neat. It was midnight her time. Then we went back to the class and made lamington with cake, chocolate and coconut. Yummy! Next we listened to Mem Fox read some stories off her website. After lunch we came back and made some crafts. It was fun making a platypus puppet, a kangaroo, and a pirate hat (just like Tough Boris'). Finally we ended with a Mem Fox Memory Book. It was great to think about all the neat stories we read during the last couple weeks. Here are the highlights from the day.

What is our Earth made of?

2010-10-17T16:33:00.001-07:00

Over the last week we have been talking about the Earth's surface. We have been learning about the different types of soil, finding samples around our school and home, and looking at the different types and making observations. The kids have been learning that our Earth's surface is not only made up of soil but of water as well. We will be looking at different maps and how water and land make up the surface. Near the end of the unit we will be completing a tinkering activity as the kids in the class will be making their own map that includes land and water surfaces. Ask your child about what they have learned about soil.

Growing Writer's

2010-10-13T04:53:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love about first grade is that the students start to realize what they love about school. Some start to become independent readers (always looking for a book), some really like math, and some start to write stories on their own because they like writing. Here is a story from one of our students who wrote this at home.

I Don't Want a Bath by Taylor F.

Tom, time for a bath said his mom.
Why he said to his mom. Because I want to play said Tom.
How did you get all dirty said his mom?
Then Tom ran to make some friends.
Tom met a snake. What is your name said Tom? My name is May said May. Hi May said Tom.
Then Tom met a lion cub. What is your name said Tom? My name is Tay said Tay. Hi Tay said Tom.
Then Tom met a hyena. What is your name said Tom? My name is Stella said Stella. Hi Stella said Tom.
Then Tom met a cub bear. What is your name said Tom? My name is Trey said Trey. Hi Trey said Tom.
Then Tom met a duck. what is your name said Tom? My name is Lacy said Lacy. Hi Lacy said Tom.
Then Tom met a jaguar. What is your name said Tom? My name is Cinderella said Cinderella. Hi Cinderella said Tom.
Then Tom met a cheetah. What is your name said Tom? My name is Tiger said Tiger. Hi Tiger said Tom.
Then Tom met a leopard. What is your name said Tom? My name is Isabella said Isabella. His Isabella said Tom.
Then Tom went to find his mom. Tom found his mom. His mom asked Tom if he wanted a bath. Yes said Tom. I am tired and dirty from meeting all those new friends. Then Tom took a bath and went to bed.

It's time for School by Mrs. Harbour & Mrs. Wright's class

2010-10-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

During our author study we read the book Time for Bed. It is a great pattern book that was nice to hear after our pattern book unit of study. As a class we decided to write our own pattern book that mimics Time for Bed.

It's time for school brown dog, brown dog
Are you going to catch a frog?

It's time for school jumping bunny, jumping bunny
You will eat some honey.

It's time for school big fish, big fish
Are you going to bake me in a dish?

It's time for school nice cricket, nice cricket
Or else you're going to get a ticket.

It's time for school little cat, little cat
Are you going to pretend with a hat?

It's time for school little lion, little lion
Are you going to gonna eat a bun?

It's time for school huge zebra, huge zebra
Will you say abracadabra?

It's time for school big duck, big duck
Are you going to drive a truck?

It's time for school pretty frog, pretty frog
Are you going to bring in a fake hog?

It's time for school pink pig, pink pig
Are you going to wear your wig?

It's time for school soft sheep, soft sheep?
Are you going to sleep in a jeep?

It's time for school tiny snail, tiny snail
If you don't go to school you might fail.

It's time for school crazy giraffe, crazy giraffe
I hope you go on a plastic raft.

It's time for school super bat, super bat
How about that!

It's time for school big tiger, big tiger
Don't forget to break the tire.

It's time for school little penguin, little penguin
Are you going to play with your pretend twin?

It's time for school tiny mouse, tiny mouse
Don't forget to bring your house.

A Great Day at the Farm

2010-10-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

FYI

2010-10-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the newsletter seems to be filled and there are still so many things I would like to share with you. Here are a couple quick notes:

Tomorrow will be our Open House for 1st grade. The students are very excited to show you all the great things we have been doing in class. Please try to join us ~ we will begin at 6:30.

Last week we began our Mem Fox author study. If your child has a book by her, he/she is welcome to bring it in and keep it in their reading bag.

Our Literacy Parade and fall party will be quickly approaching us....please make sure you are keeping an eye open for information coming home. Our homeroom parents will be contacting you as well about volunteers needed for the carnival on the 29th.

Keep practicing handwriting at home....we will be having our assessment next week.

Please make sure you sign and return your child's tests when they are sent home. It is always helpful to review them with your child to discuss what mistakes he/she made. Many parents like to use these to make similar practice problems at home. Please note that all quizzes are made directly from what has been taught in class.

Our Sensory Field Trip

2010-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

After a long week I was finally able to find the time to upload our field trip pictures. The kids had a great time (even with the walk). Here are some highlights from the animals that we saw and learned about.

A Busy Week

2010-09-17T18:02:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a busy week in the classroom. We have been working hard on learning new reading strategies in Reader's Workshop. This week our focus was on "Does this make sense?" and "Get your mouth ready." Ask your child while he/she is reading his/her book to show you how to effectively use these strategies. In Writing, we have been working on pattern books. They are really cute. If you are at the school, feel free to come by and see our work posted outside the room. Encourage your child to write you a pattern book this weekend. Look for our new Standards Based Bulletin Board that will be up by the end of the week. In Math we have been working on comparing numbers and finding numbers that are greater than and less than as we play Staircases and Compare. We finished our first Science unit on Properties of Matter. Ask your child to describe what matter is and what properties we use to compare matter.

Don't forget we will be having our first field trip on Monday. We will be walking to J. Allen Axson so please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately - green Chets shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. We will provide water for the students once we reach our destination. We will leave promptly at 9:00 so please make sure your child is on time - we prefer everyone is there by 8:45 at the latest.

Next week we will reach the middle of the first grading period. Please remember that we will not be sending out formal progress reports any longer. All parents can access grades through on-course. The log in will be the same as last year. On Monday I will be sending home the tests and quizzes we have taken recently. Please make sure you sign and return them. I will be sending home scholarship warnings on Wed. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

President Barack Obama Speaks to our Students

2010-09-14T10:57:00.000-07:00

Today we were treated to a live speech by President Barack Obama. He spoke to our students about what it takes to be a success not only in school, but in life. In his speech he told students many ways to be the best that they can be. Here are some of the messages our class walked away.

New Math Investigations

2010-09-12T17:12:00.000-07:00

This year we have started a new Math Investigations curriculum. This is very exciting for us as we are learning new ways to deepen our students' knowledge of math concepts. Last week we played two new games: Collecting 20 and Staircases. While playing Collect 20, the students would roll the die and count the out that many pieces. Each child would take a turn rolling and adding to the pile until they reached 20 as a team. They learned new strategies of counting and finding how many more were needed to make 20. For Staircases, students began by placing 12 cubes in numerical order. Then they worked as groups to fill each stair to the appropriate number. Working collaboratively during both of these games is extremely important and they did a great job. Here are some highlights from the week in Math.

Welcome Back to School

2010-08-23T20:03:00.001-07:00

What a great first day we had today. WOW just doesn't say enough. We were lucky to have visitors from the University of Florida's agricultural department and 4H. We were treated to many stations that showcased different parts of agriculture. We got to go on a watermelon roll and eat watermelon, look at different farm equipment, see lots of baby animals, look at bees and taste some honey, plant seeds, and enjoy a read aloud. It was a busy but very educational and exciting day. Here are some pictures from the morning.

The First Day of School is Almost Here

2010-08-18T20:13:00.001-07:00

Welcome all the students who will be in our class this year. I can't wait to see all my returning students and meet the new ones that will be coming in. We have a great class and are excited to have you be a part of it. This year Mrs. Wright will be in the classroom as a co-teacher. She is currently on maternity leave but can't wait to join us every day. Mrs. Wright and I have worked together before as years ago she was my intern and then was hired on as a teacher here.

Our theme this year is "Cultivating a Community of Excellence" and that is just what we are going to do. This year our class is The Learning Garden. Each of us will be busy bees as we help our garden to grow. There are a lot of things needed to make a garden bountiful and we have just the right tools and knowledge to make that happen.

Orienatation is Friday at 11:00. I hope that all of you can attend - even if you were in my class last year. Thank you to Alex and Taylor for their great letters this summer. We look forward to a great year!

The Best Thing About Kindergarten!

2010-06-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

Here are some final thoughts about what we loved about Kindergarten:
Ezra - new friends
Addison - the zoo
Sean - the zoo
Taylor - Cummer Museum
Jack - St. Patty's Day party
Bella - POW WOW
Elizabeth - Diamond D Ranch
Simran - POW WOW
Jacob - seeing you every day (how sweet was that!!)
Ava - learning
Ethan - Diamond D
Lynethe - St. Patty's Day party
Emily - Diamond D
Matthew - Diamond D
Nick - pancake breakfast during Eric Carle
Keely - calendar math
Sierra - learning
Prabhmeeka - calendar math

.....looks like they thought it was an eventful, fun year. Write us a post and tell us your favorite thing about Kindergarten from a parent perspective!

All Kinds of Animals

2010-06-10T17:44:00.001-07:00

Today we were lucky to have a special guest come to visit our classroom. Robin (an old parent of mine) loves animals - all kinds of animals! She has a total of 39 that live with her. Today she brought in a variety of animals for the students to see. We saw reptiles, snakes, spiders, and mammals such as the chinchilla and the sugar glider. The kids absolutely loved the show and learned a lot about these animals: how to respect them, not to touch animals they don't know, and how these animals live, plus much more. Jessie (my daughter) was visiting the classroom today and was the brave one to hold the tarantula - the kids were very excited. Here are some highlights from the show along with the kids favorite animals!

Ezra - Chinchilla
Addison - Tarantula
Sean - Sugar Glider
Taylor - Sugar Glider
Jack - Sugar Glider
Bella - Chinchilla
Elizabeth - Chinchilla
Simran - Chinchilla
Jacob - Sugar Glider
Lynethe - the snakes
Ethan - Tarantula
Ava - Sugar Glider
Emily - Sugar Glider
Matthew - Sugar Glider
Nick - Iguana
Keely - the lizards
Sierra - Chinchilla
Prabhmeeka - Sugar Glider

Our Guest Author

2010-06-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

Today we had a very special guest author come to our class. Her name is Mrs. Jennifer Swanson and her children attended Chets Creek at one time. In fact, I had her two oldest children in my first grade class (many years ago)! A couple of years ago, Mrs. Swanson decided to write her first children's book - Penny and Rio - The Mysterious Backyard Meeting. During her visit, Mrs. Swanson read the book with a little help from the kids (dogs barking, pretending to dig, etc). She also had a slideshow to go along with the book so the kids could see the pictures up-close and gave us some cool bookmarks. We really enjoyed the visit and learned how our lives can influence our writings. Here are some highlights from the morning.

Field Day

2010-06-08T15:27:00.001-07:00

I would like to begin by thanking you all for sharing your children with me this year. They have grown and changed so much. I hope you all have a safe and happy summer. Here are the highlights from our field day on Monday morning.

It's almost here...

2010-05-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that we have come to the end of the year already? This week we will have another busy week as we begin to close up our year. Here is a list of all the events this week and next.

Tuesday, June 1nd - 3rd grade play presentation
Wednesday, June 2nd - Ronald McDonald
Friday, June 4th - Health
- Flag Retirement 9:00
- last day of resource
Monday, June 7 - field day 9:30 - 11:30
- Kindergarten awards 2:15
Friday, June 11th - last day of school
(dismissal begins at 12:00 for kindergarten)
- report cards go home

Please remember that dismissal on the last day is very hectic and the car rider line is much longer so plan accordingly.

Also, please make sure all pictures (or picture money is returned).

Parent Appreciation Breakfast

2010-05-23T16:43:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to take a moment and thank all the families that joined us for our breakfast. For all the moms and dads that had to work and couldn't be there, we hope you enjoyed your gifts. Here are some pictures from the day.

Parent Appreciation Breakfast

2010-05-18T15:30:00.001-07:00

Don't forget our Parent Appreciation Breakfast on Friday. I know the kids are excited and look forward to spending a little time with you. If you have not sent in your slip yet plan on attending, please let me know (email, post a comment, or planner).

Poetry all around

2010-05-18T15:27:00.000-07:00

WOW...we have been learning how to write poems over the last two weeks in class. Poetry is a difficult concept for many kindergarteners as they are not used to listening to it and really there aren't any rules. Poems can be written in so many ways about ANYTHING! If you have any great poetry books at home that the kids would like to bring in to share - we would enjoy them. I will make sure any books are returned as soon as possible.

Cummer Museum Field Trip

2010-05-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Weeks have passed so quickly and I haven't been keeping up with our class blogging but here are the highlights of our field trip to Cummer. We had a great time and the kids loved it. Kids are free on Tues. after 4:00. :)

Spring Celebration

2010-04-06T07:40:00.001-07:00

Highlights from our Spring Celebration

Head to Toe by Mrs. Harbour's Class

2010-04-01T11:34:00.000-07:00

Last week we finished our Eric Carle unit of study. One great thing we did was make a voicethread to go along with Head to Toe. Although it is a week later, we are finally able to post it. Hope you enjoy it. The kids had a great time.

Pamela Duncan Edwards & Henry Cole

2010-03-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

How fortunate are we that we had Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole visit our school for the 3rd time since we have opened 12 years ago. What a gift to be able to see them present to an audience. One of the best things about this wonderful duo are the way they work together. Mrs. Edwards began her presentation on how the story of Livingstone Mouse came to be.

When she had given the background of the story, she went on to read the book. While she read, Henry Cole did an illustration. It is amazing at how quickly he can draw a picture to go with a story.

When they were done, they created a new character with help from the audience and included extra characters (it was about a cat who was going to a dance). It was great to see how they could take one simple character and start to put the character into a story line.

Through the years, both have worked closely together to write and illustrate many books. Make sure you ask your child about the books we heard in class by this dynamic duo!

Eric Carle Celebration Day

2010-03-29T02:47:00.001-07:00

Nothing is more fun than having a culminating event where kids celebrate and author they have come to know and love. Friday we celebrated the work of Eric Carle. Our morning consisted of stations where kids did activities based around his work. We played on an animal game on the smartboard, we made tissue paper seahorses, had a hungry caterpillar reley race, made pancakes and played Eric Carle bingo. Then after lunch we made hermit crabs out of pasta shells, hungry caterpillar necklaces, decorated cupcakes, and decorated butterflies. In between all that we even got in a game of duck, duck, goose just for some fun. Here are the highlights from our day.

These were the kids favorite activities:
Ezra - cupcakes
Addison- hermit crabs
Sean - seahorse
Lania - relay
Taylor - duck, duck, goose
Jack - butterfly
Bella - butterfly
Elizabeth- relay
Simran - butterfly
Jacob - relay
Ava - seahorse
Ethan - duck,duck,goose
Lynethe - butterfly
Emily - bingo
Alex - relay
Matthew - relay
Trey - panckaes & bingo
Nick - relay
Keely - pancakes & bingo
Skyler - hermit crab
Sierra - butterfly

The Luck of the Irish

2010-03-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today the luck was on the side of that tricky Irish Leprechaun who came to visit our classroom. While we were at lunch, he snuck into our room and threw everything around. He messed up all our traps - what is it going to take to catch him? He threw some gold candy pieces around the room even left us a snack though - green milk and gold oreo cookies. Here are the highlights of the Leprechaun visit.

What have we been up to?

2010-03-15T18:26:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple weeks we have been so busy. In skills we have been learning different ways to make the long a sound (ai, ay, a with a bossy e). Here was a really fun activity Ms. Peters did with words that end in /ay/. Each student wrote an /ay/ word on a black dot and then we put them on the ladybug!

In Reader's and Writer's workshop, we have been studying so many Eric Carle books. One activity we have done is to do a picture retelling of the story. This helps us to understand all the parts of the story and retell the story in a response to literature. We have a lead sentence, retelling of the story, connections, and even write about our favorite parts. Here is a picture retelling of The Very Busy Spider.

In Science we have been talking about animals! All sorts of animals. We have learned about land animals, water animals, and animals that can live in land and water. We have learned what makes them unique to where they live such as land animals have lungs and water animals might have gills or even blow holes to breathe. We have been learning about animals as we prepared for the zoo. Here are some fun crafts we did to go along with zoo animals.

In Math we have been learning about 2D and 3D shapes. The kids love shapes! One of their favorite activities has been learning how to use shapes to make different patterns and learning how those shapes can be made from other shapes put together (ex. two trapezoids make a hexagon, two squares make a rectangle). Here are some pattern sheets completed in class.

Why Kindergarteners love Music

2010-03-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a view into a lesson our class had in music last week. Music for Kindergarters is not just about singing little songs. Make sure you ask your child about this great lesson.

Picture Perfect Animals

2010-02-27T18:48:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the animals we saw at the zoo on Friday. See if you can guess the animal while it is still a puzzle!

What a great zoo day!

2010-02-27T14:03:00.001-08:00

The morning was cold but what a great day Friday's zoo trip turned out to be! It took a bit before all the animals were out but some of them were out nice and early. The kids enjoyed the day no matter what the weather was like! Here were their favorite parts of the day.

Sean - seeing the elephants
Taylor - feeding the giraffes
Ava - feeding the giraffes
Ezra - when me and Keely saw the elephants
Lynethe - feeding the giraffes
Elizabeth - seeing the giraffes
Jacob - seeing the zebra
Matthew - touching the snake - everything!
Trey - the cheetah
Skylar - feeding the giraffes
Sierra - the giraffes
Lania - the elephants
Emily - petting the chinchilla
Keely - the cheetah
Bella - feeding the giraffe
Nick - touching the snake
Simran - the jaguar
Jack - the anteater

Head to Toe

2010-02-25T07:50:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple days we have been reading the book Head to Toe by Eric Carle. The kids loved this book as read about animals moving and copying the moves the animals made. Here is a cute video that sings the words to the book.

Head to Toe

Eric Carle for Kindergarteners

2010-02-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

This week we started our favorite Eric Carle author study. If you don't know a lot of his books at this point, you will by the end of our 6 week unit. The best thing about his books are that the kids are so engaged as they listen and learn how to read them. They become lifetime favorite books. Over the course of the unit, we will be listening to his stories, retelling our favorite books, writing text to self connections, and doing fun activities to support the literature. Here are the books we have read this week:
Do You Want to be my Friend?
Does a Kangaroon Have a Mother Too?
Have you Seen my Cat?

Make sure you ask your child about the great books their hearing each day and don't forget to pop onto his great website and his new blog.

Post a comment and tell us what your favorite book has been so far!

A Valentine's Day Message

2010-02-13T08:43:00.000-08:00

The 100th Day of Kindergarten

2010-02-07T12:21:00.001-08:00

On Friday we celebrated the 100th day of school. This is always such an exciting day for kids as they realize how long we have been in school. As a homework project the kids came with an items that had 100 of "something" on it such as a shirt with 100 notes or a hat with 100 buttons. The day was filled with fun activities such as writing 100 words we know how to spell, reading books about the 100th day, writing about what they would do with 100 dollars, making hats and silly glasses, and counting to 100 different ways. Here are some highlights from our day.

Reading Strategies

2010-02-03T19:19:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple weeks we have been focusing on reading strategies that will help us to be better readers. Kids at this age learn many ways to help them decode words which will in turn help them have better comprehension. Many of these strategies may seem simple to an adult, but to a child, they are effective approaches to becoming a fluent reader.

One of the first and most important strategies we teach our young readers is to
LOOK AT THE PICTURES.

What that means is that before a child begins to read the words, he/she must take a look at the picture and decide what they notice that will be important to the story. Who is in the picture? What is happening? Where does it take place? Please don't discourage your child from looking at the pictures to help him/her figure out what the text is about.

Good readers always look at the pictures!

Kindergarten Awards Ceremony

2010-02-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

Here are the highlights from our 2nd 9wks Awards Ceremony. Thank you Mrs. Matharu for making our slideshow.

M is for Melody

2010-02-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

Last month our book of the month was M is for Melody. Our class wrote our own alphabet book to go with our musical theme and we put it on a voicethread. We hope you enjoy our book. Just open the link below.

M is for Melody by Mrs. Harbour's class

The SOUND of Science

2010-01-30T18:56:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple weeks we have been learning about sound in Science. The kids have had such a great time learning where sound comes from, how sound travels, how animals use sounds, and sounds that are around us. We've had lots of great explorations with sound as well. One of the fun things we did was make instruments. The kids were given a set of materials and asked to brainstorm ways they could use these materials to make sound. They worked as groups to make all kinds of things over a series of a week. We made drums, zithers, tamborines,and horns. We also made wind chimes.

They watched as Mrs. Harbour and Ms. Peters explained how sound vibrates and travels in sound waves through a demonstration with a cup of water and a tuning fork. We could actually see the vibrations in the water! We also did a class activity that showed up how a sound wave actually moves.

Sound Waves

In a video we watched, we learned how different animals use sound waves as in echolocation. As an extension activity we brought in empty water bottles, filled them up with different amounts of water, and learned how to blow into the bottle and make sound by making the water vibrate.

The sound it made depended on how much water was in each bottle. Below are some really cool websites. We weren't able to go to all of them in class due to time but the kids would really enjoy them at home.

Find Sounds

BBC schools

Magic School Bus

Crickweb

Back into routines!

2010-01-14T18:42:00.001-08:00

Well we come to the end of our second week back at school from holiday break. Somehow that first week back feels like the first week of school again. Trying to get kids back into routines and struggling with getting up at 5:30 in the morning.

Since we have been back we have been busy. To begin with, our intern began last Thursday (Ms. Peters). She is in her final stage of education and will be teaching full time in a couple weeks. She is excited about getting to know your child and learning from them as well. She has a lot to offer and will continue to make every day a positive learning environment for your child. Having an intern is a great experience and the kids love her already. We are finishing up our current math book and will begin working on new investigations with counting and surveys. It is a fun book and the kids will love it. In Reader's Workshop we have been working on reading strategies that will help us become better readers. Make sure you ask your child daily to tell you what strategy we worked on and have them practice that with his / her book in a bag. In Writer's we have been revisiting narrative writing. We are learning how to write fictional stories which include beginning, middle, and end. I can't wait to post their work up next week. Science has been a lot of fun for the last two weeks as we learn about sound. We have been exploring what makes sound and what needs to happen for sound to occur. For the last two days we have been making items that are easily used for sound. We were unable to finish out exploration today but will finish tomorrow. I will post pictures this weekend of our fun filled science lessons.

Over the next couple weeks I will be finishing up end of the 9 weeks running records and complete our state assessment. Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and is at school every day.

We are almost at the half way point...let's keep up all the great work!

Kindergartener's Celebrate the Holidays

2009-12-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

What a great week we had! On Tuesday we had our holiday party with lots of fun crafts, a special lunch, and our book exchange. The kids had a wonderful time. On Wednesday we had pajama day and watched holiday classics along with some other small holiday activities. Here are some highlights from the day. I hope everyone has a safe and happy break.

A Visit from the Humane Society

2009-12-06T18:41:00.001-08:00

On Friday we were treated to a visit from the Humane Society. We had a young lady bring her dog Noodle to help us learn about the importance of how to take care of a pet dog and the items you would need to effectively take care of a dog. She also taught us what to do if we encounter a dog without an owner. Ask your child what to do in this situation! Here are some highlights from our program.

Kindergarten Pow Wow

2009-11-22T20:12:00.001-08:00

Through the last couple weeks we have been learning about our tribe - the Nez Perce. They are a fascinating tribe that had a lot of respect for their land and their people. The kids loved learning about what excellent hunters they were, how they breed the Appaloosa horses, and how they respected the buffalo as their source of life. Here are some highlights from our big day.

Long Night Moon - our November Book of the Month

2009-11-17T03:54:00.000-08:00

This month our Principal Mrs. Phillips has a special reading of our November Book of the Month. This is a beautiful story that the whole family will enjoy. Here is Long Night Moon.

Skills Block in Kindergarten

2009-11-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

Skills Block is a very important part of our day. In Kindergarten we spend about the first 45 minutes of our day in Skills Block. During this time we work on phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, shared reading etc. We do many whole group activities which focus on these different areas. On Wednesdays, we will be doing Skills Block Centers which reinforces the skills we have been working on that week and prior. Here are some examples of activities from this week.

Our First Kindergarten Awards Ceremony

2009-11-06T19:58:00.000-08:00

On Thursday we had our first Awards Ceremony. The kids worked very hard this first nine week period and it showed through their awards.

Rafiki turns 8 weeks old

2009-11-03T03:46:00.000-08:00

WOW...Rafiki has changed so much in the month that we have had him. He is not quite so little anymore. He still fits in one hand but not as well. He has learned how to run at full speed across the house! He loves to play with our dog Maxie by attacking her. He also loves to steal her toys and attack them too.

He learned to climb everything (even the stuff he is not supposed to).

The funniest thing he learned to do is hiss - he thinks it is going to scare the Maxie but it doesn't. When he gets mad, he wags his tail back and forth and puts his ears back. It only takes a moment until he is off running again. We go to the vet this week for his first set of shots and to see how much he is growing. The next big stage for a kitten is 12 weeks. I can't wait to see the difference!

Kindergarten Fire Safety

2009-10-30T03:27:00.000-07:00

On Thursday we had a fire safety day for kindergarteners. It was a great morning and the kids were excited to learn. We began with a demonstration lesson where two girls where in a house while a fire started. The older girl crawled into the younger sisters room and attempted to wake her with no luck. The firemen came into the house and after doing a sweep found them both unconscious in the bedroom. The girls were taken safely out of the house. After the demo, kids were able to ask questions and the firemen showed their uniforms. They also discussed coming up with a fire escape plan and when to change the batteries on the smoke detectors (We included these two items as homework for the night). Then each class was allowed to go out and look at the fire truck up close and see all the cool things it includes. We finished our day by coming back and writing about it. Some kids wanted to finish their pictures so look for samples of work posted soon.

Pumpkin Sense

2009-10-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

Science is a subject that almost all kids love. One unit that we do during Kindergarten is a pumpkin unit. During this time we learn how to become better scientist by practicing what good scientists do - making observations of the natural world using 5 senses, recording data, collaborating with a partner, create and record visual representations, understand that learning can come by observations.

Over the last couple days we have been exploring pumpkins. We have been learning how we use our senses to learn about pumpkins and make connections to the world around us. We had whole pumpkins, cut up pumpkins, and even pumpkin pudding to help us be better scientists. Here are some of the connections the kids made while doing this inquiry:

When I saw the pumpkin it made me think about...
pumpkin pie because it's the same color.
carving a pumpkin because it's big like mine.

When I smelled the pumpkin it made me think about...
mud because mud smells like that too.
dirty water because puddles smell like that. (one of my favorite answers)

When I felt the pumpkin it made me think about...
worms because that's what they feel like moving around. (another favorite)
pudding because it was squishy and slimy.

When I tasted the pumpkin it made me think about...
pie because it is creamy like that.
whip cream because it kinda fluffy.

When I hear a pumpkin it makes me think about... (they thumped on the pumpkin)
someone closing a door because it bangs.
someone knocking at the door because it goes knock knock.

After this exploration stage, the students discussed their answers and we as a class began to think about how we use our senses all the time. Sometimes we don't even realize that we are using them. Next we will discuss how our senses work together (for ex. taste/smell, touch/sight) to help us experience our world.

During this time, we have also been making daily observations about which pumpkins last longer - carved or uncarved. We began by noticing how a cut apple changes quickly over time. Our next step was to see if any changes happen to a pumpkin by cutting it. We will be finishing that up by Friday (the carved pumpkin is starting to mold and become nasty). Ask your child what he/she has noticed about the pumpkins. We will be learning why that happens as well.

Literary Carnival

2009-10-26T20:50:00.001-07:00

We had a great day Friday for our Literary Carnival. Here are some highlights of the day.

Rafiki - 6 weeks old

2009-10-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Little Rafiki is definitely growing and changing. He started eating real kitten food and wants to eat all the time. He doesn't get the kitten milk anymore and has been drinking water instead. The kitten food gives him a lot of energy which he uses to run around the house. The funniest thing Rafiki has learned is to act tough against Maxie (our Mini-Schnauzer) even though she is much larger than him. He arches his back, sticks his hair up, and points his ears back. Then he charges at her full speed. He has learned how to hide behind the furniture and attack us when we walk by. His little claws are sharp and the one thing he hasn't done is learned how to release them when he is holding on to something. He is still pretty small and I can hold him in one hand (if he sits still enough). I am sure he will continue to grow a lot over the next couple weeks.

Diamond D Ranch!

2009-10-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

What a great day we had on our first field trip. The kids got to do so many things: wagon ride, feeding goats, riding ponies, bounce house, learning about cows and horses, the drum roll, a nature walk, feeding catfish, and so much more. I hope they came home and told you all about it. Here are the highlights of our day.

Kindergarten Alliteration

2009-10-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Last week we learned about alliteration. The kids had a great time learning "Peter Piper" and seeing how fast they could read it. On Friday the kids were able to share their silly sentences they made at home using alliteration with the same beginning sound of their name. Here are some examples from our class.

* Ethan eats eggs every day.

* Nick knows not to knock near napping ninjas.

* Lynethe likes lollipops a lot.
A lot of lollipops Lynethe likes
If Lynethe likes a lot of lollipops
Where are the lollipops that Lynethe likes a lot.

* Skylar screams scarily at scarecrows.

* Addison ate eightly apples in the attic.

* Jack jumped a jack-o-lantern.

* Keely caught catfish in the creek.

* Simran sings silly songs.

* Seans six stickers shined so shiny.

Read for the Record

2009-10-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

The Very Hungry Caterpillar from Debbie Harbour on Vimeo.

Today we celebrated Jumpstart's Read for the Record 2009. We shared the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. This is a great story about how a tiny caterpillar eats everything imaginable over the course of a week and becomes a big, fat caterpillar. After staying in a cocoon for 2 weeks he emerges as a beautiful butterfly. Not only were the students treated to this special book but enjoyed a puppet show during the read aloud. A special thank you to our own Ms. Cordoza for making all our classes a set! We decided to record the read aloud so that the kids could enjoy it from home any time he/she chose. We hope you like it too.

The Life Cycle of a Kitten

2009-10-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was thinking about how excited the kids were to see my new kitten (which we have named Rafiki). I realized that I have never had a kitten this young - yes he is younger than originally thought. The vet told us on Monday that he is about 4 weeks. So knowing that information, I thought it would fun to document Rafiki's life cycle.

As a newborn, Rafiki was pretty tiny when he was born. It took about a week for him to open his eyes. Now he is 4 weeks old. Right around the time we found him he was just learning how to leave his mommy's side for a few minutes at a time. He wasn't very good at walking - he still isn't. But he is getting less clumsy. He is trying to learn how to run but often falls down or turns his body by mistake. Jessie plays with him a lot so that he gets lots of practice learning how to grow up. He is still on kitten milk but also eating a little special canned food. He has easily learned how to use his little kitten box as well. At this age, he would have still been sleeping with his mommy to keep warm so we have a special bed for him that has a stuffed cat that feels close to a real cat. He snuggles into that every night.

Rafiki is doing great and we can't wait to see how he will grow and change each week.