We had a wonderful week as we wrapped up our Spider and Halloween themes.  

The K-Kids ventured up to the Upper School science lab where they took part in some spooky science experiments. What a treat!

The children loved to get their hands messy as they made slime.

The exploding pumpkin- The children could see the chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar.

Carnival

Our very own Batman, red ninja, mermaid, pirate and Wonder Woman participated in Carnival games and a bouncy house.  This was a highlight of the week for many of the children.  

Language Arts

Poetry Journals- Bats, Bats, Bats!

The children worked in groups and found the popcorn words all by themselves!

In guided reading groups I began assessing for conferences, and I am excited to talk to you this week about your child’s progress and goals for this year! New books will be sent home on Monday.

Writer’s Workshop- This week I introduced the story hand.  Good authors include characters, setting and details into their stories.  Together we brainstormed a topic and the kiddos came up with a detail for their story.  The children’s topics included a trip to Florida, a birthday party, transforming into a ninja, and a visit to Grandma’s house. I enjoy seeing the kiddos getting wrapped up in their stories and taking pride in their best kindergarten work!

Math

We also finished up our math work stations this week; where many of the K-Kids are working to order/compare two-digit numbers, complete addition/subtraction skills, and practicing writing numbers.

  Reminders

CONFERENCES will begin Wedneseday, November 1.  If you have not signed up already, please open the Signup Genius link sent by Melinda Orzoff.  You will see the time slots that are still available and can pick a time that works for you.

Next week we will begin our Healthy Bodies Unit!

Field Trip to The Grove

This past week the Kindergartners had their first field trip to The Grove.  It was a successful trip filled with fall games, a hayride, pumpkin picking, haunted trail, and a few were brave enough to touch a snake! 

They were all smiles on our trip. J I was impressed with how well the children listened and were respectful to the Grove staff and their teachers.

Pumpkin Carving Night!

Creepy, Crawly Arachnids!

We began the week with a schema chart about spiders.  The kiddos learned that their schema is what they already know about a given topic.  Next, they shared questions or facts they want to learn more about. This activity is great tool when guiding new learning.   The kiddos interests guide the new learning! They were surprised that spiders had blue blood and that not all spiders spin webs!  We dove deeper into learning through videos and non-fiction books!

Language Arts

Poetry- We read the book, Fire, Fire! The children were detectives hunting for letters and popcorn words.  Poetry is important because it develops fluency and rhythm while reading.

Literacy Stations- Through a variety of games, the children practiced identifying the initial, medial, and ending consonant of words.   A favorite activity of the week was Read, Roll and Write.  The children had to roll 3 different cubes, identify the letter sounds and blend the sounds together to match with the corresponding picture. Many of the children completed this activity independently and it is exciting to see the progress being made.

The children continue to progress during Writer’s Workshop.  They are working hard to draw a detailed picture and sound out words on their own.  This week we wrapped up Unit 1 of Our pictures tell a story. 

Pumpkin Science Investigation- The K-kids completed a variety of experiments using their pumpkins from The Grove! They made predictions to see if their pumpkin would sink or float along with other classroom materials. They had fun seeing if their predictions were correct! 

Pictured above, the K-kids measured the height and circumference of the pumpkin using unifix cubes and a string. We practiced explaining and recording our findings just like real scientists!

Math

Journals- This week we worked on comparing two numbers and incorporated new math vocabulary such as greater than, less than, fewer when explaining our pictures and story problems!  The kiddos are getting comfortable explaining their thinking and sharing their ideas with the class. 

Stations- The games included Spider addition, find the missing spider, and spooky spider patterns which all develop their math skills.

P.E- The kiddos had a blast playing the game, Red Light, Green Light.  The kiddos raced around the gym in their ‘cars’ and had to not only listen, but watch for the correct traffic signals.  Thankfully, no speeding tickets were given out J

Reading Buddies

The K-kids were the spider experts and enjoyed quizzing their 8^th grade buddies.  They completed a spider craft together.  Their art will be displayed on the outside bulletin board, so be sure to take a peek!

Events This Week!

Carnival- Friday, October 23- 11:45-12:45

Cost-$10  The children will receive a badge and this will be in place of tickets.  They can play unlimited games and earn prizes at the event. 

On Friday, the children will bring their costumes in a bag to school. At 11:30 the children will change into their costume and we will go as a class to the Carnival from 11:45-12:45. 

Parents you are welcome to come!! You may arrive at 11:30AM to assist with costume changes and join us after for the games. We would love to have you, please let me know if you are interested.