Thanksgiving

This week we are learning all about thanksgiving. We have done lots of talking about what we are thankful for (and some writing too!) We have also been learning about why we celebrate thanksgiving.

One project we did was to show why we are thankful. The students decorated paper plates to look like turkeys and Native Americans. One side is a turkey, flip it over, and voila!- you have a Native American. The students wrote what they ate thankful for on each of their feathers.

Another project we did really focused on the first thanksgiving and teamwork! The students were assigned to a team and together they had to build their very own mayflower ( but they were not allowed to name their own boat that). I have to say, they all worked extremely hard and hot along wonderfully while crafting their boats:)

You can all of our awesome creations below!

Election Day

To teach the kinders about democracy, we decided to hold an election of our own. The class had earned a special prize by earning all of their stickers for the week, so we decided to let the students vote to choose their special prize. W gave them three options: pajama party, popcorn party, and ice cream party. The kids loved casting their votes and tallying them to see which party won. It was a close race, but they voted to have an ice cream party. We held the party on Friday afternoon and invited their families to join in on the fun!

Go Away Big Green Monster

To get in the spirit of Halloween we did many art crafts and read tons of Halloween inspired books. Our favorite book and project this year was Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly. We read the story and then created our own big green monsters. The kids used green paint to make symmetrical monster heads. Then they added all of the monster parts to make their own unique big green monster. We even had a siamese twin monster! The kids worked so hard and their projects look fabulous! See for yourself!

Playground Theatre

Today we had a wonderful visit from the Playground Theatre. Jeff and Mia taught the kids all about Halloween safety! They had an "eggscellent" interactive part of the show where many students got to go on stage. They also performed a skit about "ghost catchers". The kids had a blast! Thank you Playground Theatre for your wonderful show!

You can check them out at: playgroundtheatre.com

Doctor Bags!

For doctor week the students created their very own doctor bags. To increase their fine motor skills they laced up the sides if their bag. They all did an awesome job lacing all by themselves. On the front of the bag they wrote "Dr._________'s Bag". Inside they put medical tools such as band aids, a q-tip, cotton balls, and a tongue depressor. They had a blast pretending to be doctors!

Doctors, Dentists, and Vets!

This week we are learning about our community helpers: doctors, dentists, and vets! We had a vet visit today and a dentist is coming in on Friday!

Today we made the cutest skeletons out of q-tips. It was great watching the students design their skeletons. No two were alike.

We also made some doctor paper dolls. I got these dolls from education.com. This website is amazing! There are worksheets for every grade level and subject- including holidays! I can't wait to find ways to use this source on the classroom, or send it home!

Johnny Appleseed day!

Today we celebrated Johnny Appleseed! We made pan hats, read stories, and created some delicious applesauce! My wonderful parents provided apples from their own back yard. The kids had a great time using the apple peeler, slicer, corer gadget! (That's the correct term for it I believe!)

Big Red Barn

This week is all about pets, so today we focused on lovable farm animals (because they are pets too!) We read many books about farm animals, including Wilbur's Adventure by E. B. White. For arts and crafts we created the cutest Big Red Barns. The kid cut out a barn and made flap doors to open. Inside their doors they drew pictures of the animals that lived inside. They did an awesome job with this project!

Sparkles!

This week we are learning all about pets. I wanted to do a fun project with dog bones, but dog bones are so... boring. So I decided to add some bling to our bones and make them fit for a princess (or a prince). The kids loved playing with glitter and they look awesome!

Adventures With Tiny

Tomorrow will begin our Adventures With Tiny.  A student will get to take Tiny ( a build-a-bear Turtle) home for the weekend.  They will write about what they did over the weekend in a binder.  On Monday, they will share their Adventure with the whole class.  The students are super excited to bring home this stuffed animal.  And I have to admit, I am super excited to see the creative things they write about!

Kindergarten Common Core

Even in Private Kindergarten, we are following the Common Core standards this year.  The Common Core Standards are great because many of the states have adopted them, making education very similar all across the country.  The Kindergarten Common Core  workbook is FILLED with pages and pages of wonderful resources and worksheets for the kindergarten classroom.  I am thrilled that each activity included in the book tells your directly which standard is being addressed.  I plan to use this workbook in my classroom as small group centers, as well as homework for the kiddos.  I heard about this awesome resource though Have Fun Teaching- check em out on Facebook!

Ruler wreath project

To start the school year my teacher friend and I decided to get crafty and make these cute ruler wreaths!  I got the idea from pinterest of course!  You can view more detailed directions here: http://www.polkadotchair.com/2011/08/ruler-wreath.html/

To make mine, I found rulers at Target for .27 cents!  I went to Joanne's to find the cutest little buttons and ribbon that I added on for decoration. Here is my crack at the project- turned out pretty cute!

Welcome!

Welcome to Cuckoo for Kindergarten! This is my third year as a private kindergarten teacher but my first year at my new school! I am excited to share my ideas and lessons with fellow teachers!