February is Dental Health Month and the Kindergarten Kids kicked it off with learning facts about teeth, proper teeth brushing techniques, and the tooth fairy! The K-Kids learned facts about teeth - what a tooth is made of, the names of the different kinds of teeth, and the process of baby teeth falling out to make room for the adult teeth. They were very surprised that teeth are not made of bones and that a child has 20 teeth while a grown-up has 32! The K-Kids also learned how to properly brush their teeth and the importance of brushing, flossing, and going to the dentist. On Tuesday, we poked holes in an apple. As the week went on, we observed what happened to the holes. The holes represented a cavity and was a great visual for how a cavity may progress if a dentist does not "come to the rescue". Many of the K-Kids expressed fear and anxiety about the dentist. We talked about how the dentist is just like a doctor and has the job to keep us healthy. Through books and discussions, we also talked about some of his tools and how most of the time the cleanings are just a little tickle in the mouth!
To add some creativity to the week, we also created some artwork and writing prompts about the tooth fairy. The K-Kids made their own tooth fairies (and tooth dragons :) and wrote about what they would want the tooth fairy to leave them under their pillows. Hopefully they will not be too upset when the tooth fairy does not leave a cat, a dinosaur fossil or a new baby sister! As a class, we also brainstormed what the tooth fairy does with all of the teeth that she collects. It is pretty cute to think that she builds a tooth castle, keeps them in little glass jars at her house (tooth hoarder?!), and changes the tooth into a good dream. :) Just for fun, I also took up-close pictures of the kiddo's teeth, and we played a guessing game as a class with the pictures. Take a moment to check the hallway and see if you are a tooth sleuth!
To tie in with the tooth fairy fun, we did math centers revolving around money. Using small groups, I am able to better differentiate the instruction to fit the learning needs of the students. The groups rotated to each center and completed activities that were appropriately challenging. The groups used coins to find different ways to make a given amount. Some groups were focusing on using only pennies while other groups were using quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies to make larger amounts. The groups also completed story problems related to money. Lastly, one group worked independently to complete a number scroll - a blank 100s chart and the K-Kids wrote all of the numbers from 0 to 100 (or higher if they were able).
February is Dental Health Month and the Kindergarten Kids kicked it off with learning facts about teeth, proper teeth brushing techniques, and the tooth fairy! The K-Kids learned facts about teeth - what a tooth is made of, the names of the different kinds of teeth, and the process of baby teeth falling out to make room for the adult teeth. They were very surprised that teeth are not made of bones and that a child has 20 teeth while a grown-up has 32! The K-Kids also learned how to properly brush their teeth and the importance of brushing, flossing, and going to the dentist. On Tuesday, we poked holes in an apple. As the week went on, we observed what happened to the holes. The holes represented a cavity and was a great visual for how a cavity may progress if a dentist does not "come to the rescue". Many of the K-Kids expressed fear and anxiety about the dentist. We talked about how the dentist is just like a doctor and has the job to keep us healthy. Through books and discussions, we also talked about some of his tools and how most of the time the cleanings are just a little tickle in the mouth! 
To add some creativity to the week, we also created some artwork and writing prompts about the tooth fairy. The K-Kids made their own tooth fairies (and tooth dragons :) and wrote about what they would want the tooth fairy to leave them under their pillows. Hopefully they will not be too upset when the tooth fairy does not leave a cat, a dinosaur fossil or a new baby sister! As a class, we also brainstormed what the tooth fairy does with all of the teeth that she collects. It is pretty cute to think that she builds a tooth castle, keeps them in little glass jars at her house (tooth hoarder?!), and changes the tooth into a good dream. :) Just for fun, I also took up-close pictures of the kiddo's teeth, and we played a guessing game as a class with the pictures. Take a moment to check the hallway and see if you are a tooth sleuth!
To tie in with the tooth fairy fun, we did math centers revolving around money. Using small groups, I am able to better differentiate the instruction to fit the learning needs of the students. The groups rotated to each center and completed activities that were appropriately challenging. The groups used coins to find different ways to make a given amount. Some groups were focusing on using only pennies while other groups were using quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies to make larger amounts. The groups also completed story problems related to money. Lastly, one group worked independently to complete a number scroll - a blank 100s chart and the K-Kids wrote all of the numbers from 0 to 100 (or higher if they were able).
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