Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Coconut Fun in Ms. Rachel's Room

We have spent lots of time learning about the alphabet this week--and what better way to enjoy the alphabet than with Bill Martin, Jr.'s classic, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

But we didn't stop there!  We sang and danced our way through the alphabet with Elmo, and we learned all about the letters P and U during Animated Literacy. 

We even got a chance to practice blending these two letters' sounds to read and write the words up and pup!  Check out these Sesame Street podcasts for some more practice with P and U. 

You and your child can check out some of our classroom alphabet favorites here and here! 

After spending so much time together talking about letters and their sounds, we all got some independent practice with alphabet.  

Next it was time to talk about why all those letters are so important--they help us read!  We practiced reading the pictures and words together in some of my favorite ABC books, and then we practiced reading pictures and looking for letters and words on our own.

 

               

             

After a week of hard work, we were due a little fun by Friday!  

First, we all thought like scientists and used our senses to help us learn more about coconuts.  

Then it was time for us publish our findings. Your little scientists did a great job showing what they had come to know about coconuts through their explorations.

We also found out that coconuts FLOAT--even though they are heavy.  Check with your child to see if they remember why.

We used different types of blocks to build coconut trees.

And last, but not least, we painted with coconuts.

It was SO messy...but it was SO much fun!

If all this news about coconuts has you itching to hear Chicka Chicka Boom Boom you can listen here.

Teacher Tip Tuesday--Bubbles and Dinosaurs: Showing Self Control in the Classroom

We have spent much of our first few days together learning about what is expected here at school.  After reading How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen, we created some dinosaurs of our own to help us talk about what dinosaurs--and kids--should and should not do at school.  

Using our dinosaur friends and classroom conversation, we are quickly learning school and classroom rules and procedures.





But sometimes knowing the expected behavior is easier than showing the expected behavior.  So, we have also spent some time learning about and practicing self-control.  

We began our discussions about self control by talking about bubbles.  What do you want to do when someone blows bubbles?  You want to pop them of course!  But...if you have self control, you can tell your body to be still and quiet--you don't have to pop the bubbles.  

With some daily practice we are learning that we are in control of our voice and our body.  We can make our voices quiet and make our bodies still, even when it's hard.  We are learning to show our self-control.  

You can help your child practice and recognize self control by practicing at home.  Ask your child to place their hands in their lap for a count of ten before eating their favorite snack.  Play the quiet game (see which family member is the first one to talk).  Asking your child to sit and wait for even a few seconds before engaging in preferred activities will help your child understand what self-control feels like.  

Have a great Tuesday!

Monday--A Day of Firsts!

We were back for our first Monday of Kindergarten--and it was a big one!

We started our day with Mrs. Collis, our school counselor.  Everyone had a great time learning about Mrs. Collis, how she helps students at CFES, and talking about our feelings at school.

Next we headed to the computer for MAP.  It was a new--and kind of long--experience, but we all made it through just in time for a much needed play break!

And to top it all off, we got to go hang out with Mrs. Benko in the Media Center.  Your kiddos were super excited to see all the great creative spaces in our Media Center and meet Mrs. Benko, but I hope their favorite part was the BOOKS!

  

After all that, it was time to lay it down!  We were all in need of a little rest after all that!

I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow!!

Rules and Expectations

We spent a lot of time talking about rules and expectations today.  

We started our day by reading No David! by David Shannon and talking about expected and unexpected behaviors.  We decided that we were all a little like David--everyone makes mistakes--but, we can work hard to try to fix them and be happy in the end.  

Then we talked about our classroom rules and expectations.

1.  I will treat other people the way I would like to treated.

2.  I will walk quietly in the hallway.

3.  I will listen quiety and follow directions the very first time.

4.  I will keep my hands feet and objects to myself.

5.  I will work hard and try my best at everything I do.

Everyone worked hard to show expected behaviors and many of us earned horseshoes or moved our clips up to orange or blue throughout the day!  YAY!  #motivatedmustang

If you would like to listen David's story, click here. 

Take some time to talk your child about David and how he fixed his mistakes at school.  How can you fix your mistakes too?

Happy First Day of Kindergarten!

We had a great first day of Kindergarten!!

We made new friends, made some cool creations with blocks, drew pictures of what we were excited to do in Kindergarten, went to Art class, had lunch, danced our wiggles out, played outside, took a rest, and headed home.  

 

We shared a lot of firsts today.  I hope everyone went home happy, and I look forward to seeing you 

all back at school again tomorrow!

Welcome to Kindergarten 2017-2018!!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!  Ms. Cari and I have been working hard in our room!!

We loved seeing everyone at Meet the Teacher today!  We are super excited to start a new year of fun and learning with you and your child! #classof2030

                                       

Don't forget to listen to your special bedtime story and sprinkle your ready confetti before putting on your special first day sticker and heading to school Wednesday morning!  

We LOVE Mo Willems!!

If your family does not know Mo Willems and his work--you have got to seek him out!  Mo Willems has numerous children's books to his credit, and he is creating new work everyday.  While we didn't have time to explore all his work, we spent lots of time reading about his fun and crazy characters Pigeon, Piggie, and Gerald!

We began by reading all about Pigeon who wanted to drive a bus and get a puppy and eat a hot dog and stay up late!  Next we began reading about Piggie and Gerald and all of their fun friends.  

We used these characters to help us practice our measurement skills.  We ordered the characters by height and weight by using measuring tools like cubes and scales.  

After measuring, describing, and comparing these fictional characters, we decided to apply our observational skills to some real animals. 

After learning a little bit about real pigeons, we decided to learn a little bit more about some other types of birds by measuring, observing, and comparing. 

Birds are great, but there are lots of other interesting animals out there!  We decided to learn more about tigers, blue sharks, kangaroos, toucans, and flamings.  Students used iPads in small groups to research and record information about their animal.  

Next we created some art to show others just what our animals look like, where they live, and how their environment helps them meet their needs.  

After all that, there was even a little Mo Willems engineering!  After reading Today I Will Fly! students brainstormed ways to fly.  There were a lot of creative ideas from jet packs to dragons, but we finally decided that we would engineer airplanes (of the paper variety) to help Piggie fly.   

We have been both inspired and entertained by the works of Mo Willems!  Next time you are at the library or the book store, take time to look for Pigeon and Piggie and Gerald--they might inspire and entertain you too!