Sharpen the Saw

Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw

Habit 7 is all about having balance in your life - regularly renewing and strengthening your body, brain, heart and soul. At school, Habit 7 is taught in this child-friendly way: I eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep (body). I learn in lots of ways and lots of places, not just at school (brain). I spend time with family and friends (heart). I take time to find meaningful ways to help people (soul). I balance all four parts of myself!

Morning Work

Every morning the kids enter class with a big hello and then get ready for the day. They wash hands and immediately start their morning work. Morning work typically consists of a math or phonics worksheet. During this time I work 1:1 or in small groups with children who need teacher guidance. This time allows additional practice and review of skills and concepts that have been taught in class. This week I sent home a folder filled with these types of worksheets. I encourage you to work at home with your child. I always remind the kids that, "Practice makes better!"

Recess - What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?

During recess the kids were introduced the game, "What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?" To play the game, a group of players standing in a line asks, “Mr. Fox, Mr. Fox, what time is it?” In reply, the fox calls out a random hour of the day, “It’s 5 o’clock!” Players respond by taking five steps towards the fox. Again, players ask, “Mr. Fox, Mr. Fox, what time is it? Now, the fox calls out another time (ex: 3 o’clock), and players take three steps toward the fox. The call and response continue until the fox decides to yell, “midnight!” instead of a numerical time. Players then run while Mr. Fox tries to catch them before they return to the starting line. If the fox tags someone, that person becomes the next fox.

Sensory Bins - Water Beads & Shaving Cream

This new sensory bin idea was awesome and a huge hit with the kids!

Mystery Reader

This week our mystery readers were Avery's mom and dad! Thank you for reading to us!

PE

The kids love PE in the gym!

Art

This week Mr. Matt read the book, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. The Dot is about a girl named Vashti who discovered her artistic talent. After the story the kids created their own pictures using oil pastels and watercolors.

Next week is our last week before break. We will be having a class party on Friday - a sign-up sheet will be sent out soon. On Friday we will enjoy a movie, make gingerbread houses and wear PJ's to school!

FUNdations

This week we began Unit 2 of Fundations! During the next several weeks we will be teaching or reviewing: letter formation for uppercase letters, story prediction, and reading short vowel words (three sounds). Your child may already be able to recognize and form the upper-case letters and the review will go quickly. We also introduced tapping out and blending CVC words. This is important as the Kindergarteners learn to build reading skills.

Math

For math this week we focused on building teen numbers with classroom objects and finding partners of numbers 5-10. The children also continued to practice adding and subtracting within 5 to gain fluency.

PE

The kids enjoyed many movement games including: Messy Backyard and Dodgeball Tag!

Library

The children loved visiting our school library (some for the first time!)

Art

Mr. Matt began art this week by reading the book "Ish" by Peter Reynolds. In the book a child names Ramon loves to draw - but when his brother laughs at his drawings, Ramon loses his confidence and the joy of creating. After months of frustration, Ramon decides to give up drawing all together, until his younger sister reminds him that drawings don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. From the story we are reminded that the beauty of imagination and creativity is in the process rather than the finished product. Ramon discovers that his ‘ish’ drawings allow him to sketch not only things but also thoughts and feelings, opening up a whole new world of creativity. This celebration of imagination is also an important lesson for children that what they do and who they are doesn’t need to be perfect to have value.

Mystery Reader

This week our Mystery Reader was Dean's mom! Thank you for reading to us!

Recess

Have you ever heard of water beads?

Water Beads Sensory Bins

Have you ever heard of water beads? They are fun gel balls that expand in water! When expanded, water beads are slippery squishy marbles. Water beads are extremely calming to run your fingers through, it’s like adding a texture to water. With sensory play, there’s always much more going on than meets the eye. Sensory activities, in addition to being fun and interesting for young children, encourage children to explore and investigate. These activities also help build nerve connections in the brain, encourages the development of motor skills, supports language development, encourages ‘scientific thinking’ and problem solving, and can involve mindful activities which are beneficial for all children. The water beads were definitely the highlight of the week!

STEM: Foam Blocks & Shaving Cream Towers

Foam blocks and shaving cream towers are the perfect combination of sensory play and STEM. The children had an amazing time exploring with their senses while building!

STEM: Craft Stick Catapults

Kids love building things, and when you add in the chance to fling a pom pom? We are talking an instant hit! The kids loved following the step-by-step instructions on how to build their catapult. Many of the children were excited to take their catapult home to test out launching different items found in their house.

Math: "Equal or Not Equal" and "See Tens in Teens"

This week the children were taught the meaning of equal and not equal. We talked about how the equal sign is made by two dashes that are the same length - the sameness is a reminder that the numbers on each side of the = are the same amount. The children were also taught that "teen" means "ten" and that there is one ten group in each teen number (11-19). The children practiced adding ones to a ten group and then finding the total teen number.

Recess: Popping Bubbles

The children had a blast at recess playing with bubbles! 60 degrees in November? I'll take it!

PE

The kindergarten kids fully enjoyed rolling and scooting all across the gym floor! Scooter boards provide full-body sensory input and support gross motor skills as the kids roll along. The kids also played "Dodgeball Tag" and "Hungry Hungry Hippos!"

Art Class

Mr. Matt read the book, Perfect Square by Michael Hall. In the story a happy square transforms itself after facing one challenge after another. Day after day, the square reinvents itself. It is cut into pieces and poked full of holes. From simple and perfect to complex and perfect . . . and always happy! The kindergarten artists created their own perfect squares using oil pastels, watercolor paint and paper edge scissors.

Mystery Reader

Thank you Theo's mom and sister for reading to us!