January, January...Where did you go?

Get ready.....this post will be full of items.  I have been so busy, that I just have not posted all the things we have been doing in K-land in the month of January.  Believe me it is a lot.  I promise to be much better in February.  :-)  So..here we go to the adventures and learning fun of room 6.  

Snowmen

Even though we have been working on our common core units, we can't leave out all the snowmen books and activities.  Even though we do not have snow here in South Georgia, our little k-crew kids love to read and write about them.  

snowman labeling map

Snowman balloon and q-tip art.

Snowman writing.  We wrote several days about the snowman using our thinking map.  The kids did a great job with their writing.  

Martin Luther King, Jr.

We always enjoy talking and learning about MLK.  It is so amazing just how many of our 5 year olds do not know who he was.  By the end of the day, they can all tell you about MLK.  I love making the Martin Luther King pictures.  I love to see how their faces will turn out.  They all have their own look and lots of personality.

Leader by day, Superhero by night

This unit so far has been very interesting.  The kids have loved the superhero part of the unit and day/night.  Next week we will be moving into leaders/presidents.  So far we have learned how to compare ourselves to a superhero, what happens in the day sky, and what happens in the night sky.  Take a look.....

Superhero thinking map.  The characteristics of a superhero.

I am different from a superhero because.....

I have like a superhero because.....

Who is your favorite superhero?

What parts make up a superhero?

What do we see in the day sky?  What do we do during the day? The day sky circle map.  

What do we see in the night sky?  The night sky circle map.  

The 100th day of School

We always love, love, love the 100th day of school.  My favorite part is all the cute, awesome projects that the kids bring. This year we decided to change classes for the 100th day.  Each kindergarten teacher did a different activity.  Our room was the 100th day photo booth, and building out of 100 items.

Our 100th day sign made by awesome Erin Franks our media specialist 

100 day projects

How much popcorn will 100 kernels  make?

Here is the answer

stacking 100 cups. 

What will we look like at 100?

100th day of school photo frame.  All the pictures turned out so cute.  I made it by taking an old frame and covering it will paper and decorating it.  So easy.  This is also the same frame I used on the first day of school.  Just tape on the items, and there you go.  A changeable frame.  Velcro would work great.  Maybe an idea for next year. 

Groundhog Day

Will the groundhog see his shadow?  We will have to wait and see.  We had a great time reading, writing and predicting about the little old groundhog.  Personally I hope he does not see is shadow.  I like warmer weather. :-)

Groundhog circle map

Groundhog tree map

Groundhog predictions.  I sure hope our class guessed correct.  

 Boy I'm tired now.  It's amazing when you do not post for a few weeks just how much you have done.  I promise to be better and post again soon.  Thanks so much for stopping by and taking a look at all the great learning going on in room 6.

Lisa

K-Crew Kids Rock

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas is always filled with lots of hustle and bustle and sometimes it's so busy, you have to just stop, slow down and remember what the season is about and all the blessing in your life.  We always are so busy at school trying to put so many activities into just a few weeks.  But......when all is said and done, you are thankful and happy you did, because for some children this is all the Christmas they may have.

Take a look at some of the activities, crafts and work that we completed over the last couple of weeks.

Paintbrush Santas made by cutting white and pink felt the size of the  silver part of the brush (white on the back and pink on the front.  Glue a white pom pom to the top, wiggle eyes and a red pom pom nose.  After all is dry go back with white and red puffy paint and paint on mustache and mouth.  

Loved making the puzzle piece tree this year.  I cut green triangles out of construction paper.  The kids glued small puzzle pieces all over.  We let them dry and then when back the next day and added more making sure all the paper is covered.  After they dried we spray painted them green and then the kids decorated them.  SO CUTE!!!!! 

Now....this is the best of them all this year.  I've made these in the past but this year they turned out wonderful.  Using brown acrylic paint make five or six thumb prints on the balls.  After drying use a red and black paint marker to make the nose, eyes and antlers.  The trick is to use a more of a fine point black so that the antlers will not be too fat.  Love, Love, Love.  The parents loved them.  

Interrogative thinking map

Label the Reindeer thinking map

Label the reindeer writing

Label the Christmas Tree thinking map

Get these labeling pages here.

Merry Christmas

Lisa

K-Crew Kids Rock

Christmas, Christmas All Around

This years seems to flying by and Christmas is approaching so fast.  Christmas at school is one of my favorite times.  It's great to see the excitement of a child, as they see the lights on the Christmas tree, sing a Christmas song or when they make a Christmas craft.  So many of kids are experiencing things for the very first time, and I as a kindergarten teacher get share it with them.  We have been so busy and I know the next 9 school days will be world wind, but lots of memories will be made for some 5 and 6 year olds.
Take a look at some of the Christmas learning and fun we have been having.

 In the last week of November we studied Winter Celebrations around the world.  We had lots of fun and make a winter celebration book with pictures, crafts and information.  The kids loved it, and I including them learned a lot.  We learned about Christmas in Sweden, Holland and Mexico.  We also learned about Kwanzaa and Hannukah.  On last day we talked about the nativity.  That was the first time in 22 years I was able to tell the story of Jesus birth.  It felt very strange but great.  

 This little Santa has been welcoming my K-Crew kids for years.  He usually spends the Christmas season in the hall for all to see, but this year he came in to visit us in our room.  He sits in the room and watches all the boys and girls.  He gets lots of love and hugs.

We wrote about Santa. We labeled the things that Santa has and then went back and described Santa using color words.  The kids used the map to complete their writing each day.

I have not made this Santa in several years, but thought it was time give it another try.  The kids loved making him.  Some of them wanted wear him on their heads like a hat.  My husband then helped me and my short self out and put up all 22 Santas.  Wow! That's a lot of Santas.

I always love our gingerbread week.  I decided this year to make a different gingerbread and he turned out very cute. But.....with 22 kids he takes up two boards.  We used a regular sized paper plate.  Next year we will be using smaller ones.  :-)

Here are some of the big cuties up close.

Here is our gingerbread thinking map.  He turned out cute. The kids loved him.  We labeled him and then they practiced labeling their own gingerbread.  We also used the thinking map to write about our gingerbread man or girl all week. 

 I always love reading all of the gingerbread stories.  They are great to use to talk about the different parts of a story.  Each day I made a thinking map of the story that we read, and then they completed their own independently.

Here is some of my modeled writing.  Yes....I do know how to spell, but I let the kids tell me how to spell the words.  Our rule is...if it is up in the room we have to spell it correctly.  

 Merry Christmas

Lisa

K-Crew Kids Rock