Kindergarten Fun!

The Kindergarten Kids became even more comfortable and settled in their school routines. They continued to practice lining up, walking quietly in the hallway, and working together with their classmates to complete activities in the literacy centers.  We talk about the word "independent" a lot in Kindergarten and practice daily to be independent in our work and to be successful at starting and completing an activity independently.

Writer's Workshop is a very important time to practice writing independently.  We started writing in our journals this week and  learned the "secret code" that we write on each page of our journal (the secret code is the number version of the calendar date ex. September 9th is 9/9/11).  The K-Kids experimented with drawing pictures with markers and crayons and adding details, details, details!  At the end of Writer's Workshop they were able to share their pictures with the class!

Sorting buttons

In math this week we worked on establishing a solid sense of numbers and sorting.  The K-Kids were introduced to counting and one-to-one correspondence through  multi-sensory activities.  They worked on focusing on the sound of an item being dropped into a jar and counting in their heads.  They also made number cards using pom-poms, and we put these numbers in order on the number line.  Using buttons, the K-Kids practiced sorting using a variety of attributes.  The kids caught on quickly, and we were able to adjust the activity by having the kids sort by two or even three attributes. This became quite tricky, and the kids loved the challenge of making groups of similar buttons!

Art was a time to explore glue and learn how to use a "dab" of glue.  The kids learned a very catchy tune to help them remember that a dab of glue will do and practiced making dabs and frames of glue.  After practicing the dabs and frames, the kids used construction paper to cut and glue into a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree (book by Bill Martin Jr.).  They found the letters in their names and glued the letters in place on their trees.  We also read the book, The Color of Us, which encouraged conversations about ourselves and our skin tones.  After the discussion of our differences and similarities, the K-Kids painted pictures of themselves and mixed the paint colors to try to create a color that was similar to their own skin tone.  Roycemore School is so diverse, and we are very lucky to be a part of a community that appreciates the differences amongst people but also finds ways in which we are alike!

Next week we will begin our first thematic unit - Nursery Rhymes.  I have a lot of fun activities planned to coordinate with the classic favorites!  Have a great weekend :)

Happy birthday!  Thank you so much for the yummy treats
and treasure boxes!