The long awaited field trip post

I know, it takes two minutes to import pics. But my kinder-fried brain has a hard time remembering to do that sometimes. But, I finally remembered, so here they are!

Our awesome parents that drove to help us chaperone the trip

A pirate ship!

Teachers kickin' it old school!

Shopping for groceries

What a lion!

Getting our hands dirty

Mechanics at work!

under construction

Tuckered out

If you couldn't tell, all of our kinder tots had a blast. After weeks of studying about jobs people do, they had the opportunity to play and experience them first hand. A great big thank you to the lovely people at OERB that made it all possible!

I think we have the makings of a kindergarten track team

Today I had recess duty, the most tolerable of all "extra" duties. I love having the opportunity to get outside any chance I can, and it's a great way to get to know the kids outside my class as well.

One little fellow, we'll call him Marlon, that I've gotten to know well (from behavior, as well as recess) has an affinity for the trikes that are available to ride during recess. This kid would ride them all day, every day if he could. This however, creates a problem, for he is not the only kindergartner who enjoys a trike ride. It is usually a battle to get this kid of the bike, which almost always ends in a pouting session on his end, and a very unhappy person on my end. But today, I tried a different approach. This is how our conversation went.

Marlon: " Hey Ms. S, watch how fast I can go!"

Me: (Watches him ride at a break neck speed) " Wow, Marlon, that was awesome! You are really fast on that bike. Are you fast on your feet too?"

Marlon: (Looking uncertain) "Yeah"

Me: "Really? Show me how fast you can go."

Marlon: (Takes of in a dead sprint, along with 7 other kindergartners who heard me issue the challenge and now want me to watch them as well.) " Told ya I was fast."

He then proceeds to spend the rest of recess proving to me how fast he is, racing with all the other little runners back and forth on the playground. He's off the bike, other kids are getting a turn, and now I'm thinking about a kindergarten track team. Good golly  those kids are fast!

Butterflies

The day we have all anxiously been waiting for has arrived. Our butterflies have "hatched!"

I was the first one to notice, but I kept it quiet because I wanted to see their reaction at such a remarkable development. Not even 10 minutes later, Miss Hugger, alerts her best friend in the loudest whisper I have ever heard, that "They're here! They're here! The butterflies have hatched!" This, of course, brings every kid from all corners of the room (we were at morning centers) to the counter where our butterfly house rests.

It was a moment of utter chaos, unbridled joy and excitement, and awesome discovery. And wouldn't you know it, my camera died. I didn't catch the great scene of discovery, but take a look at the newest members of or classroom.

Zoo Day

Today was the day my little superheros have been waiting for for weeks! ZOO DAY! I was just as excited (perhaps a little more) as my kids were. I love field trips, and am very blessed to be among the dwindling number of schools that still has them. It was a great to watch our kids have this great experience. Many of them have been to the zoo (several times), but they have never been with their friends. It was great to see them "show each other around" and to hear all about the awesome animals they saw.

The highlight, however, was the bus ride. My little John Tesh raises his hand and says "Ms. S, did you know, I have never been on a bus before?" Of course this sparks a chorus of "me, too" and  "neither have I"s. 2 out of 20 friends in our class ride the bus to and from school, so this was a novel expereince for most of our class. They were in a state of pure bliss during the bus ride. Seeing Dunkin Donuts was almost better than seeing the zoo. Who'd a thought?

Fantastic Friday!

What a great day to start Spring Break!

We had our EHES Olympic Closing Ceremony during Harmony on Friday. It was fun to see all the kids dressed in their grade levels/countries colors, wearing the hats of their country, and waving all the different flags. My little Olympians loved chanting/screaming "U.S.A!" as loud as they possibly could, and cheering when the medal winners were announced. Our class won a silver medal in Music, one of the two medals Team USA/kindergarten won. There are no words to describe the look of pride on ALL of kindergarten when Molly, our representative, went up on the medal stand.

After Harmony, we had just enough time for our morning drink & restroom break and morning recess before lunch. Pizza day and a silver medal; my sprouts were on cloud nine.

Afterward, we finished Dr.Seuss week out with reading The Foot Book. I then announced we were going to play rhyming bingo to help us with our rhyming skills. I was rewarded with "Thank you Ms. S! " "You're my very best teacher." and lots of I love you's. (I'm pretty sure this was more because of the prizes, than actually playing the game, but whatever motivates them to play!).

Playing Bingo in my class is loud, hilarious, and LOUD. I'm sure if someone would have walked in, they would have thought it was utter chaos. However, I love that we are loud; to me it says we are actively engaged in, and excited about learning. Each word I called out would be rhymed by everyone in unison, whether it was on their bingo card or not. We played three rounds (my usual limit), and had three winners. I only had one crier, which I consider a success.

Free centers were after bingo, which is also a pretty loud activity. My kids imaginations were on fire; I was served several delicious meals, visited by a team of doctors who cured me of "dying", and even rescued from a killer robot.

We ended our day with activity (art), snack, recess, and of course the Treasure Box. We did our goodbye song, and my kids were off to a week of quality time with their families. It was a long, loud, eventful day; the perfect end to Dr.Seuss week, and a great start to Spring Break!

Wacky Wednesday

Yesterday was "Wacky Wednesday" in our Dr. Seuss Week. We wore silly socks and read Wacky Wednesday and a few other Dr. Seuss books. By wore silly socks, I mean that we got to walk around in our classroom with no shoes on. My little buddies were delighted. "You mean we are going to do Morning Math in our socks?! That's wacky!!!" In fact, I think wacky has become the hottest word in kindergarten. "Ms. S , look at the bus! It has two steering wheels, that is soooooo wacky!"

Word to the wise: If you ever read Wacky Wednesday to young children, there is a bathroom scene with partial nudity. Consider yourself warned.

Mixed Up Monday

Today was the first day of our Dr. Seuss Week, a week filled with wonderfully wacky themes and literature. Today was Mixed-Up Monday, for which we got to wear our pajamas to school It was a wonderful day of reading and literacy games/activities. We spent our morning reading block with Dr. Seuss' ABC and played Alphabet Bingo. I gave prizes (bubbles) out to the winners, which added an element of excitement, and afforded me an opportunity to talk about graceful losing and playing for fun.

Side note: I know a lot of teachers who try and make everything fair/equal for their students, especially in the lower grades. I've never been a fan of that philosophy; I think it is setting children up for even bigger disappointment later in life. In my opinion, it's better to learn how to deal with it in smaller situations (bingo), so that bigger situations (losing a national competition) are not as shocking/damaging to a child's self-esteem.

In the afternoon, we read Hop on Pop and Fox in Socks, and had all kinds of fun with rhymes, not to mention some much needed practice. This year, we have found rhyming to be a very difficult skill to master. We topped off our afternoon with a Dr.Seuss Rhyme Match game, which everyone enjoyed thoroughly. Of course, it made it so much better that we were in our pajamas. Seriously, who else gets the privilege of going to work in pajamas?

I love my job!

Christmas in February

I set out new toys for Free Centers today, some from my kit and others from school storage. You would have thought my kids died and went to heaven. I had girls foaming at the mouth to play with the Polly Pockets, and my boys were absolutely enthralled with the Motorworks set. Everyone was gaga for our new cash register, play money, and grocery cart full of housekeeping toys. I'm thrilled that my students are getting to enjoy some of the "classic elements" of a kindergarten class. I'm looking forward to seeing them with the Dress Up center.

Best part of the day: Mr. "I-just-can't- do-it" tied his shoes ON HIS OWN! A much needed victory for this kid, and an awesome example of the little miracles I get to see everyday.

Callbacks

I'm tired and I wanted to get my first "real" post done. So here it is.

Callbacks are my primary method of getting attention in our class. I introduced the few I knew at the beginning of the year, and the repertoire has expanded exponentially. I thought I'd share a few.
(For those who don't know- callbacks are a call and response yell/action/chant)

Kindergarten...ROCKS!
Oklahoma...OK!
And a hush fell over the crowd...SHHHH!!!
If you're listening and you know it, clap your hands....clap, clap

And my favorite:

Peanuuuuttt, Peanut Butter!....JELLY!