Superhero Walking- The first two days of school

Last Thursday, I welcomed 20 new kinders to our school. On Friday, I welcomed 2 more. I am thrilled to have these precious ones in my class this year, but I always forget just how little they are when they first arrive. Everything is so new and exciting, making sitting and listening quite a challenge. Our theme this year is superheros, so we concentrated on learning two things that Kindergarten Heroes need to learn how to do: listening and walking in the halls.

We discussed how Kindergarten Heroes use 5 Star listening skills. Their eyes are watching, ears are listening, mouth is quiet, hands are still, and feet are quiet & still. We practiced what 5 Star listening looks like, feels, like and sounds like. My little heroes did very well for the first time, and I know we will master 5 Star listening very soon.

While 5 Star listening was hard, Superhero walking was an even greater challenge. Just like 5 Star listening,  we discussed and practiced what it looked, feels, and sounds like: Our bodies stand straight and tall; our heads are held high; our hands our on our hips; our feet on brown and white. We practiced, and practiced, and practiced some more. It's quite a task for my little heroes, but I know we will master it as well.

Other than working on those two skills, we read wonderful books like:

  and   and   and   .

We wiggled and danced to:

  and  and   and  .

It was a thrilling, exhausting, amazing two days. And I can't wait to do it again on Monday.

Now, if I can only get rid of this cold.

I love my job!!!

We're back!

So I was too exhausted to post on our first official day back from Spring Break, so here is a quick recap:

Our schedule has been overhauled to accommodate centers twice a day, literacy in the morning and developmental in the afternoon. It was chaos for a bit, however, it smoothed out and I was able to work with two reading groups and informally assess where we are. My superkids totally blew me away with their reading; we are exactly on target for Spring (which is a pretty big deal considering they had a string of subs until October when I was hired)! Ms. M, our literacy coach, returned to our class, much to the delight of my budding sprouts. We learned, we laughed, we played, and it was a fantastic start to the last quarter.

Today, we added to our numbers, bringing our class count back up to twenty. Our new friend was shy, but was welcomed warmly, and soon felt at ease. Again, chaos ensued when it was center time, but we figured it out and got down to business.

I realize this is not a very detailed post, however, I am one tired teacher. I will try to do better on the morrow.

Ready

So it's the last day of Spring Break, and I am more than ready to see my cherubs again. I've been housebound for the past 48 hours due to the "blizzard," and used the time to get some school projects out of the way. Our new center system is complete (for now), and our classroom website is finally up and running. I am excited for spring and all the newness it brings, and the growth I am sure to see in my sprouts. I'm ready for discovery and exploration and lots of laughter and learning. I love my job!