Update Week of October 12

Math Time:

We have a daily mini-lesson and then we practice our skills on paper and with math manipulatives.

This is one of our Crescent Valley HS mentors Marin.

This is one of our CVHS mentors A.J.  They come in on Wednesdays for 1 hour.

Caterpillar shape making game.

Spinning numbers and writing them down.

I love to make displays that the kids can touch, feel and write about.  Here is our forest writing station.  There are lots of fun things to touch and write about.

Snack Time:
Snack time happens daily at 10:15.  It's a quick time to refuel before starting our writing lesson.

Writer's Workshop:

We always start with a mini-lesson about some type of writing skill i.e. one finger spaces.  Then we get busy fixing up our old writing or starting something new.  These kiddos are doing a great job writing.

Computer Time:
We have computers every Tuesday afternoon.  The kids have been using ABCMouse.com. I just sent home the activation codes so you can use it at home too (for free).

Math Games:

This summer I went to Goodwill and yard sales trying to find as many CandyLand and Chutes and Ladder games as I could.  The kids are playing my kinder version of Chutes and Ladder right now: when you land on a space, you need to identify the number.  Later we will start adding numbers to move to the spaces.  I will make a post about CandyLand when we start using it in a couple of weeks.  Do you have an extra games at home that you would love to donate to the classroom?  I will take more of them.  Thanks :)

More Math Activities:

iPads:

We used our iPads today and used Raz-Kids another free reading program that you can use at home.  The kids listened to books being read to them and followed along the highlighted text.

Naturalist in Residence:
This occurs 6 times a year.  Teacher Jangle talked to us about dirt (soil). We went out and explored the wetlands and got 2 samples of soil from different depths.  We then returned inside to explore the soil.  We had lots of fun!

No, Cora is not eating the soil.  She is using the magnifying glass :)

Free Choice:

We do free choice as much as time allows, usually 3 times a week.  This is an important social time for kids who need to work together, share, and be respectful of each other.

Bucket Filling:
We read and discussed two books on bucket filling.  Basically, everyone has an imaginary bucket and you can fill it with kind words and gestures or you can be a bucket dipper by not being nice.
We are proud to say that we are a "bucket filling classroom!"