Welcome to Kindergarten!

Welcome to Kindergarten! I am so happy to be back at school and starting a new year with a fantastic group of new friends! We will have so much fun together this year, learning and growing together. This month, we are learning to be a community, celebrating and appreciating the diversity of learners in our class. We start each day with our song of the month, which encourages each of us to be proud of who we are and to remember- everything is possible. I believe in my students and know that together, we can accomplish great things!


And to help my new friends learn something new, here is a life changing video that will teach how to tie shoes!

I am looking forward to a terrific year together!

Summer Fun- FIREFLIES!

One of my favorite things about summer is fireflies! I love to watch them and try to catch them outside. When I catch a firefly, I will always let it go again. Did you know that fireflies are not actually flies? They are a type of beetle. They do not live very long at all. The males fireflies flash their lights to attract a female.  Different fireflies have different patterns of flashing lights and different colors. Some glow blue of green and some glow yellow or orange. Watch the fireflies in your backyard. Can you tell what kind you have?

You can learn more about fireflies in this video:

 

Did you know that in some places, fireflies can flash their lights together? They are called synchronous fireflies and they are beautiful to see. You can see some fireflies in the videos below:

And there are LOTS of stories about fireflies! Here are a few for you to enjoy.

Play a firefly game:

Firefly Hide & Seek

You’ll need:

* a light stick or light stick bracelet for each participant
* a good-sized building, yard, park, etc. for the game

Give each player a light stick.

Have the group agree upon the location of “base.”

Choose one play to be “it.” They may carry of flashlight if needed for safety.

All the other players, the “fireflies,” choose a signal to use to warn each other when they are captured.

“It” stays at “base” and counts to a predetermined number while other players hide (the bigger the playing area, the higher the count to give everyone a chance to find a good hiding spot).

After counting, “it” tries to find the other players.

When a player is found, she or he signals other players in the area that she or he has been “captured.”

“It” takes his/her captured firefly back to base, where their light stick is placed in a jar.

Other players may choose to move to another hiding spot while this is taking place.

Then “it” and the captured player join forces to find another firefly.

Play continues until all “fireflies” have been found.

Safety note: since these games are best played at night or in a dimly lit building, check your playing area for possible hazards before beginning. Set appropriate ground rules for the ages and personalities of kids in your group to keep everyone safe.

And lastly, if you want to try a firefly craft, here is an easy light up one to try:
firefly craft

Have fun and I hope you are all having a happy and safe summer!

April is Poetry Month!

Have you heard of “book spine poetry?” It’s a kind of poetry that you “find” by arranging book titles to make a poem. This type of poem can be serious or funny, just like in regular poetry.

Here’s the basic idea. Imagine that you’re sitting at a table with all of these books in front of you:

  • Green Eggs and Ham
  • Goodnight Moon
  • The Very Hungry Caterpillar
  • Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
  • Oh, The Places You’ll Go
  • Where the Wild Things Are
  • Good Night, Gorilla
  • Stone Soup

To make a book spine poem, you would start by moving these books around into stacks with the spines together so that the titles are like the lines of a poem. You would keep moving the book titles around into different stacks until you find the “lines” that go best together to make a poem. For example, one set of titles might describe a story:

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Oh, The Places You’ll Go
Where the Wild Things Are

In this story, if you let the pigeon drive the bus, you might end up going a lot of unexpected places.

Here is a different kind of story:

Green Eggs and Ham
Stone Soup
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

In this story, the caterpillar is hungry because the only food to eat is stuff that doesn’t taste very good.

Another way that you can use book titles to make a poem is to create an imaginary conversation, as in this very short example:

Good Night, Gorilla
Goodnight Moon

 

Here’s one that I did:

In this story, the pigeon went outside into the woods on a windy day and then needs a bath when he gets home.

 

Here’s one more:

In this story, a family comes together.

Okay, ready to make your own book spine poetry? All you need is a stack of book with interesting titles from around the house. Place a few books on top of each other. Play around with the titles to create a short poem, words that create an image or feeling.  Try and notice some that seem to go together to tell a funny or interesting story.  Try to include 4 or more book titles in your poem.

When you have several finished book spine poems, you can document your favorite by taking a picture. If you come up with one that you would like to share, you can email it to your teacher.

You can look at some Book Spine Poetry galleries by clicking here

And here

Math Fluency

We are beginning to work on addition and subtraction here in kindergarten. While this is a concept that many children understand (if I have 4 apples and I get one more, then I’ll have 5), doing it with numbers and symbols (4+1=5) tends to be much more difficult for children at this age. To help children be more fluent with numbers and the concept of more and less, which leads into addition and subtraction, I like to play card games. Games are always a fun way to reinforce learning concepts, as well as social skills like being a good winner and loser and taking turns. One of my favorite games to play is called Speed.  This game, which is sometimes called “Speed,” works on fluency in counting forward and backward. This is not a “taking turns” style of game, but rather a speed-based game, in which each player tries to play his cards as fast as he can. As players become more and more fluent in their play, they play their cards in rapid succession.

Here’s how to play:

  • 2 Players
  • Grades K+

PREPARING TO PLAY

  • Shuffle the full deck of cards. Place two cards face down in the playing area (next to each other, with at least a card width’s space in between). Each of the two cards should be within equal reach of the two players.
  • The suits hold no importance in this game, only the numbers matter.
  • Divide the remaining cards evenly between the two players. Players pick up five cards from their own pile to hold in their hand and leave the rest of their cards in one pile face down in front of them.
  • When both players are ready, each player turns over one of the two cards in the playing area, so that both cards are now face up, forming the two “playing piles”.

PLAYING THE GAME

  • One More, One Fewer

    Either player can play a card from his hand onto either of the two playing piles in the center, at any time, by placing a card that is either one more than, or one fewer than, the card that is on the top of that pile. So for example, if the top cards are currently a King and an Eight, only a Ace or an Queen can be played on the King, and only a Seven or a Nine can be played on the Eight.

  • An Ace is treated as both greater than a King and less than a Two; thus it can be played on a King or a Two.
  • Each player can only pick up and play from the five cards in his hand. Each time he plays a card, he can pick up the next card in his pile and place it into his hand.
  • A player can only lay down one card at a time, so for example, if there is a Three on the playing field and he holds in his hand a Two, a Three, and another Two, he has to take the time to lay the cards down individually, not as a compact stack of three cards.
  • If there is a stall in the game, when neither player can play, there are two options. The first option is that each player can take the top card off his own pile and place it face up on one of the two playing piles to reset the playing piles. The second option is that each playing pile can be picked up, stacked neatly, and placed face down on the side of the playing area. The players can then pull a card off the top of each of those piles and place them face up to reset the playing piles. Players can draw from those piles on the side each time there is a stall in the game.

Winning the game The first player to play all the cards in their pile wins.

When starting this game, I would play without the jacks, queens, kings and aces, and add them in once the child is more familiar with the game and the concept of greater/more and less/fewer.

Birds in the Winter

If you know me, you’ll know that I love birds. We have many bird feeders around my house and we love to watch the birds. Taking care of birds in the winter is a great thing for kids to do! Birds have a harder time in the winter finding food. You can set up bird feeders or even make some at home. You can see and hear some common backyard birds here.

bird-feeder

Here are some tips on setting up bird feeders:

Decide on a location for the birdfeeder

Explain to your child that some locations are better than others for birdfeeders. You want to choose a location where the feeder can be seen from indoors so that you can all enjoy watching your feathered friends feast.

It’s also important that the feeder is safe from predators. That means hanging them several feet away from shrubs where predators could hide. It also means placing them in or near trees where birds can take shelter.

Talk about bird nutrition

Talking about bird nutrition is good for your kids and the birds. Explain to them how good nutrition is just as important for birds as it is for them. The proper amount of nutrients will help the birds stay healthy and energized.

Not all wild birds require the same type of food. Some eat bugs, grubs and worms, while others like seeds and berries. When feeding wild birds in your yard, your best bet is to put out a variety of bird foods. These include things like dried meal worms, seeds, like black oil sunflower seeds, nuts and suet, the latter of which provides birds with necessary fats.

Consider types of bird feeders

The feeder you choose will influence the type of birds that visit your garden. There are bowl type bird feeders with an open shape that makes it easy for kids to fill the bowl. This type of design is also handy, because it allows several birds to feed at once.

You’ll also find tube-type birdfeeders that are good if you don’t have a lot of time. You generally don’t have to refill the tube for several days. Such tubes are also pretty to look at—as you can see all of the birdfeed. You could even make your own birdfeeder. Try attaching a teacup to the top of a long pole. The most important thing is that you get out there and feed the birds.

Be a bird watcher!

(From the January/February 2020 issue of Bird Watching magazine)

Keep in mind is that if a child has an innate interest in birds, that interest can be nurtured, and if a child isn’t currently interested, an interest can, in many cases, be sparked. And there are a lot of good reasons for wanting to share the world of birds with children.

First of all, a love of birds gets kids outdoors, and that’s a good place for kids (and adults) to be. Studies show that spending time in nature is beneficial to both our physical and mental health. Among other things, it improves blood pressure, helps lift depression, decreases the risk of cancer, reduces stress, and boosts short-term memory. Ample, unstructured time outdoors provides kids with the opportunity to experiment with activities such as climbing trees and jumping over streams, and this gives them increased confidence, creative problem-solving skills, gross motor skills, and flexibility. A “wild child” has a greater ability to concentrate and, in short, has an academic edge.

Indeed, an interest in birds can be a child’s first step to falling in love with biology and the other sciences. We were, in a sense, all born scientists. That is, babies and toddlers are constantly experimenting and observing in order to figure out how the world works. They throw their toys to see if they will always fall; they mix their milk with their beef stew to see how the consistency and colors change; and they constantly test our boundaries. Of course, much of this is what we generally call “bad behavior,” and we naturally try to curb it. But the trick is keeping our children’s innate scientific interests alive by channeling the impulses rather than squashing them. Exactly how we go about doing this is somewhat individual. It depends on who we are; it depends on who our kids are. Yet there are some pointers we can keep in mind.

For starters, really engage with a child’s questions: How do birds fly? What do crows eat? Are those robins fighting or playing? Don’t be afraid to say you don’t know, but show them how to find the answers to their questions in books, on the Internet, or by observing. Matching games are another possibility. For example, you could gather images of various types of birds plus images of their eggs, nests, and/or the environments where they live. Then ask the child to match them up. Matching adult birds with their newly hatched young is particularly fun since — I think we can all agree — baby birds are quite funny looking.

Now, consider a birdwatcher’s most important tool: binoculars. When you give a child a pair, she’ll follow your lead finding nests or observing how different types of birds have different flight patterns. But then it’s just a matter of time before she trains her binoculars on the moon and begins to discover the wonders of astronomy. So, in that same vein, consider the gift of a microscope for an upcoming birthday. In magnifying feathers and eggshells, children get a whole other view of birds, and then they can marvel at seeing other things up close, too — maple leaves, onion skins, swamp water, and more. By the time your kids use microscopes in biology class, they’ll be pros.

Another reason to want to share the joy of birds with children is because, right now, the world needs green-thinking like never before, and a love of birds will spontaneously spill over into a desire to protect the wild spaces that birds live in. Children have such a good sense of what’s fair and right. Educate them about how their actions have an impact and empower them to make positive changes. Show your kids how human activity threatens birds, and they’ll want to know what they can do to help. Make it clear to children that if they get too close to a nest, the parent birds might abandon it. Tell them that if they give birds seeds that aren’t fresh, they could make the birds sick. And show them how they can keep birds from crashing into windows by putting decals, BirdTape, or other patterns on the glass.

Really little kids like seeing birds that are numerous and easy to find, such as gulls at the beach, pigeons at your local city monument, or chickadees in parks where they might land on your hand for a few seeds. Ducks are another easy-to-spot option for small children, but don’t give into the temptation to feed waterfowl bread — let alone pretzels or chips! (Among other reasons, it encourages the formation of flocks that are too large, and health concerns arise when crowded birds defecate where they feed.)

Older kids enjoy more challenging “bird hunts.” When you go birdwatching with kids, show them that it’s like being a detective or a ninja. To not scare away the birds, you have to move through the forest or meadow stealthily. So, how quiet can you be? Can you creep across the forest floor? Can you use gestures to communicate with each other silently? It’s also helpful if you wear clothes that camouflage you, and you get to use binoculars or a spotting scope. Birdwatching is an exciting adventure!

Serious birders usually keep lists of the birds that they see, and youngsters can do something similar. That is, they can keep a scrapbook where they write down where and when they see different species, add drawings or photos of the birds, or write poems and stories about them. Encourage creativity. Kids, in fact, don’t need to limit their scrapbook to birds they’ve actually seen. They should, instead, feel free to include material about birds that they’d like to see but haven’t yet — maybe a Blue-footed Booby or a King Penguin. Kids can even include material about imaginary birds. Maybe your child dreams of a parrot-ostrich-hummingbird mashup. Get him to draw a picture and stick it in his scrapbook. He’ll particularly love it if you sit down with him and also draw your own crazy avian creations.

Building or decorating a bird feeder is another great project for crafty kids. Around my house, we have lots of feeders and bird houses.We like to see how the birds (and squirrels) are making use of it all. If you do have a backyard, you and your little ones can hang your feeder there, and then your whole family can enjoy seeing cardinals or finches out the kitchen window. Having a backyard bird feeder helps make birds a part of the fabric of your family life.

Tips for bird watching with kids:

  • Keep your cats inside – According to Science News, domestic cats in the United States kill more than a billion birds each year. If you are going to attract birds to your yard with feeders, please keep your cats inside.
  • Create a bird-friendly habitat – Bird feeders are a great way to attract birds to your yard. You can also plant shrubs and trees to provide food and nesting sites and provide a source of water (a birdbath, pond, or fountain) for your visitors. You can even turn your yard or garden into a certified wildlife habitat with the National Wildlife Federation.
  • Play backyard bird bingo – Once your kids can identify the birds that frequent your feeders, you can create a bird bingo game to play over breakfast. Print out pictures of the birds you are most likely to see in your yard, and glue them to a bingo card divided into nine or 16 squares, or you can use the ones here- Bird-Bingo Whenever your kids spot a bird, they can put a penny on the square with the matching photo.
  • Build a birdhouse – A birdhouse is a great way to attract nesting birds to your yard. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to watch bird parents hatch eggs and raise their young. Bluebirds, wrens, chickadees, and titmice will often build nests inside birdhouses. Here’s an easy birdhouse tutorial that kids can build with adult supervision.
  • Join the Great Backyard Bird Count – Participating in a citizen science project is such a great way to put what you’ve been learning to good use. Spend a week in February counting birds in your backyard, and submit your findings via eBird. More than 160,000 people around the world take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count each year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week we read the book Balloons Over Broadway by Caldecott Honor artist Melissa Sweet.  This book introduces us to Tony Sarg, the self-taught puppeteer who created the enormous half balloon, half puppets that distinguish the Macy’s parade from other holiday festivities.

You can see some of his designs here
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-puppeteer-who-brought-balloons-to-the-thanksgiving-day-parade-180947863/

See more about Tony Sarg here:

Learn more about Tony below:
Tony Sarg bio

Learn more about how the balloons are now made here:

You can go to the parade website and learn more, watch videos, play games and more! Click on the link below

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

And have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Attitude of Gratitude

With Thanksgiving coming this month,  we will be learning about and practicing “Gratitude” and what it means to be thankful. Did you know that just by saying “thank you” you can spread a little kindness in the world. We will practice by writing thank you letters to the many people that help us in our school and in our communities.

Learn a little more about gratitude:

Practice gratitude:

 

Here are some books that share about gratitude. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Fall is here!

Fall is here and with it are so many opportunities for kindergarteners to explore outside while developing their language and math skills! We have been learning about attributes in math, a word that describes an object so that we can tell how it is like or unlike other objects. We can do this with leaves. Go on a leaf hunt with your child and collect lots of different leaves. Then have your child sort the leaves at home. Encourage her to sort in ways other than just color or size. You can help your child to think of many different attributes by having your child describe the leaves using his senses. What does it look like? Feel like?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leaf rubbings are also a fun way to be creative while reinforcing fine motor skills like “pinching” the crayons and using your “helping hand” to hold the paper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We went on a leaf hunt and then created our own leaf creatures after reading Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. It was so fun seeing how creative the children were being with all the items we found.

Space Fun!

On May 30, NASA launched two astronauts NASA astronauts on an commercial spacecraft- the first launch of American astronauts into orbit on a U.S.-built vehicle from America since 2011. The mission blasted off from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Launch Pad 39A. Two veteran NASA astronauts, Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, were tucked inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. This launch began a 19-hour journey to the International Space Station, where the astronauts will spend between one and four months living and working. Meet the astronauts:

You can watch the launch:

You can learn more about astronauts:

 

 

And you can even have stories read to you by real astronauts!

 

And recite poems too!