Here Comes Mrs. Wishy-Washy and Down on the Farm

It is my most favorite time of the year...we started our farm unit! I am head over heels for Mrs. Wishy-Washy! I think that Joy Cowley is brilliant. We have had a great time reading Mrs. Wishy-Washy and some other great titles such as:

                                             

We found some great FREE activities from The Virtual Vine to use with our Mrs. Wishy-Washy theme too!

Rolling Farm Animals in Mud and Washing Them - Just Like Mrs. Wishy-Washy!!

SOOO Much Fun!!

Pigs in Mud

Making Butter - Taking Turns Shaking the Jar

Adorable Roosters



Acting Out The Little Red Hen



So Much More Fun to Come!!

Read More

A Lovely Blog Award

Thank you to Sandi at rubber boots and elf shoes for awarding me the lovely blog award. She has a wonderful blog!

When you get this award, you pay it forward.

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

2. Pass the award on to 15 (ish) other lovely bloggers.

3. Follow the person who sent it to you.

Here are my "lovely" bloggers:

1. Kindergarten Kel

2. A Kindergarten in Bloom

3. Camp Kindergarden

4.  Ms. Solanos Kindergarten

5. Sharing Kindergarten

6.  Literacy and Laughter

7.  Ms. Mc Bees Kinderbugs

8. Little Blog Fish


9.  The Eagle's Nest


10. An Interesting Mix

Read More

I Heart Dr. Jean!!

My colleagues and I were thrilled to attend a Dr. Jean conference this past Friday! This time of year it is especially nice to be reminded of the importance of learning through music, the need for student-capturing transitions and recogntion through simple cheers that can involve the whole class. I left feeling revived and filled with a wealth of new materials. What a great way to end March!

Read More

Sight Word Linky Party!!

April from Wolfelicious is hosting a Sight Word Linky Party, which I am very excited about! Like many of you, our kindergarten students are expected to learn a certain number of sight words. At our school, our goal is to have our students learn 73 sight words. This has grown tremendously from four years ago when we only expected our students to learn 18.  It just goes to show if we raise our standards for ourselves and our students, they will rise to the challenge - if given proper support of course! 

So here are just a few ideas that I would like to contribute to the Linky Party:

1.  Fishing for sight words - this is always a favorite! The kindergarten students just LOVE to use a fishing pole.

2.  Using magnetic letters in random places in the classroom. Here our students are making words on the heater! Used as a short center or if there are a few extra minutes. Great team work activity and students can utilize classroom resources - the word wall!

                                                               

3.  Using cookie trays and magnetic letters in small groups to work for making sight words or CVC words. Each child gets a cookie tray (from the dollar store) and magnetic letters.

4.  Altoids boxes - I have collected these over the years. Even though they are small, they still can hold magnetic letters. Students can use the lids to make words because they are magnetic.

5.  Spring eggs - This idea was not mine, but I have been doing it for so many years, I have no idea where I got it from...purchase a bag of spring eggs from the dollar store. Use eggs to make onset rimes.

                                                          

                                                          

    

Check out the Linky Party for More Great Ideas!!

Read More

Help - I Need a Blog Mentor

If anyone would be so kind as to tell me how to post something on my blog that I have scanned - such as a word document. I tried cutting and pasting into the post, but it isn't working. I am sure there is a simple way, but I have not figured it out yet and I have been trying for a couple of hours. I would appreciate any suggestions, please!!

Read More

An Award For My Blog? Thank you!!

I was so kindly given this Blog Award from Kimberlee Fulbright, who has several blogs filled with AMAZING ideas. She is a true inspiration. Thank you to Kimberlee for visiting my new blog and passing this award on to me!

This award was designed to encourage teachers who blog. I can't wait to pass it on!



1. Thank you to Kimberlee Fulbright from Two Fulbright Hugs and Teachers Time Savers.

Passing this award on to 10 great blogs:

Kinder Kraze


Our SMART Community


Miss Smartie Pants


Young and Lively Kindergarten


You Put Your Whole Self In


Preschool Powol Packets

Read More

Looking for Leprechauns!!

When the students came to school this morning, they found that the leprechauns had used their toilet last night! The toilet water was green! To the kindergarten students in my room - this was the most wonderful thing that could have happened! The students also found a note in the bathroom from a leprechaun thanking them for letting them play in their classroom, but asking them for help because one of the leprechauns lost their shoes.  They promised to come back with a pot of gold at the end of the day if we could find their shoes!

The students noticed that the leprechauns left letters all around the classroom. They used clipboards going around the classroom looking for all the alphabet letter. Looking for letters was an idea from  kindergarten kiosk. (one of my favorite blog sites!) http://www.kindergartenkiosk.blogspot.com/

 Looking for Letters and Clues

A great end to our day!

Read More

Linky Party



Excited about a K-2 Linky Party!
Thank you to Jeannie at Kindergarten Lifestyle for Organizing It!



Read More

Top of the Morning to Ya!







Making Rainbow Snowflakes - Hoping For a St. Patrick's Day Rainbow Blizzard

- love this project from http://www.kinderteacher.com/

 

Making Macaroni Rainbows!

Loving Shamrock Shakes!

Read More

Read Across America

I just love this poem! I think it is precious. It was perfect to share with the parents at the celebration we had for Dr. Seuss. This should have been included in the earlier Dr. Seuss post. Author unknown. If anyone knows the author, please let me know so that I may give credit.

"You're never too old, too wacky, too wild,

To pick up a book to read with a child.

You're never too busy, too cool, or too hot,

To pick up a book and share what you've got.

In schools and communities,

Let's gather around,

Let's pick up a book,

Let's pass it around.

There are kids all around you,

Kids who will need

Someone to hug,

Someone to read.

Come join us March 2nd

Your own special way

And make this America's

Read to Kids Day."

Read More

Words to Live By - Teach By

Mother Teresa's "Anyway" Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Read More

Best Clinical Resources

I recently atteneded a confence put on by Dr. John Pagano an OTR/L who has been a teacher and pediatric therapist for the past twenty-five years. He offered us some resources, that I found especially helpful:

• Autism and Social Skills Visuals http://elearning.autism.net/visuals/main.php  

• Positive Behavioral Handouts (Tucker Turtle and other resources) http://www.challengingbehavior.org/

• Excellent site for PECS http://www.childrenwithspecialneeds.com/index.php/downloads.html

Read More

My First Post - Dr. Seuss a Bit Late!

This is my first post to my new blog! I realize that I am several days behind all the talk of Dr. Seuss, but I wanted to share some of the activities that we tried in my classroom that came from many of your wonderful blogs.  I loved the entire week of Dr. Seuss and celebrating his birthday.  Like many of you posted, there were so many wonderful stories to read and projects to do.  Our class made the Cat in the Hat Glyphs from Mrs. Jump's TpT packet - they were adorable and lots of fun to make!  We have also been working on many of the writing activities and games in the Dr. Seuss unit from The Eager Teacher - great ideas! Thank you!

On Friday, March 2nd, to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss, the kindergarten classes at our school had a special morning.  We gathered in the cafeteria where each student had a stack of Dr. Seuss books and a parent or family member with them.  We had all the chairs set up so that we were in a large circle.  The parents sat in the chairs and the students on a mat. Every 2 minutes, a train whistle would blow and the parents would rotate to the next child.  The students held on to the books so that they were able to hear an entire book, just being read by different adults.  It was really amazing to have that many adults and children reading to Dr. Seuss at the same time. We then had an awards ceremony where every child was given a Dr. Seuss award (we found them at the Christmas Tree Store) and ended our program serving Green Eggs and Ham to all of the parents and children as they watched the Green Eggs and Ham movie.  It was a wonderful morning!

Cat in the Hat Glyphs from Mrs. Jump

We made hot air balloons with paper mache after reading Oh the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss - a very messy project, but lots of fun and a great finished project!

Celebrating the Birthday of Dr. Seuss with a kindergarten reading train!

                                          

Read More