Make a Joyful Noise!

We are finished with the community helper unit, and now we are on our book unit! We had a lot of fun this week singing all sorts of songs from song books. On Monday we played some games with songs like "Ring Around the Rosie" and "Farmer in the Dell". Tuesday the students got to play some instruments. We had a guitar, xylophone, piano, and the favorite, drum!

Oh boy, he might be having to much fun!

Thursday was a fun campfire song day! We sang some of our favorite songs around out very own campfire (don't worry no real flames were involved!)

And of course, what is a campfire without some yummy smores! There was the minor setback of not having a real fire, but we made it work with these new smores. 

Step 1: Crush up graham crackers

Step 2: Roll marshmallows in chocolate

Step 3: Sprinkle crackers on marshmallow

Step 4: EAT!!!

In phonics we learned the sound "u" and "k" along with some words we can sound out between them. We also have a new sight word, "his". Reading is coming along for everyone! It's fun to see their excitement with books!

In Bible time we finished up learning about Jacob. The students agreed that it would be very hard to work for 14 years for something you love! Also, we talked about forgiveness like Esau forgave Jacob after Jacob tricked him. 

Math class is moving along. We are continuing to learn numbers. We're up to 16 now. Writing letters has been a challenge, with practice we'll get it! 

We also had a special guest in our classroom on Thursday. Once a month a librarian is going to come in and read to the Kindergarten and Preschool. She has so many fun books and songs for the students. 

Tuesday we had a retirement party for our much loved principal. The students worked together to make a banner for him, and then we had ice cream for lunch. It was a lot fun, and we will definitely miss him. We're excited and prayerful for our new principal!

 Putting the new principal to work scooping ice cream! Behind is the banner the kids made.

We'll miss you!

Coming up...

Nursery Rhyme Week! Can't wait to read all about different nursery rhymes. We are starting to learn a new sound, "d", and also working on what "c" and "k" make together, "ck". We also have a new sight word, "has". 

Heart Healthy

Sorry that I didn't get this post out this weekend! Last week was all about staying healthy. On Monday we learned about eating fruits and vegetables to stay healthy. It is unanimous in my class that no, candy is NOT healthy. But having a piece of candy every once in a while won't hurt you. Tuesday was about staying healthy by staying active! We split up into teams for an exercise relay. The teams: Cheetahs vs. Ponies. The final score: Both too cute they all won!

On Thursday we had a real nurse come in! AKA my sister. She talked about washing hands properly and even let the students listen to their heartbeat!

She even gave them their own band aids to play with. We have a few students who are considering a career in nursing now! Major thanks to Sarah for coming in!

In phonics we learned about "b" and "p". Also, we have two new sight words, "love" and "orange". Everyone is doing great in the first steps in learning to read. I love to see their excitement in books and reading!

In math we are still working on recognizing numbers and left and right. We are starting to try to use words like "greater", "longer", and "taller" properly. Everything is going great!

The first week of fall was last week too! This means there will be plenty of fun fall crafts coming. This week was a thumb print tree. Anything with paint on fingers automatically means fun!

Also, I sent out all progress reports. I think I heard back from everyone, but if you didn't get an email please let me know! 

Coming up...

We are ending our unit on community workers and starting a unit on different types of book. This week will be about song books. We will have lots of music, instruments, and even a "campfire" on Thursday. Bring on the smores! Watch out for a new sight word coming home!

Smile!

I'm smiling because it was a great week, and we learned all about dentist! The students learned all about dental hygiene and how dentist help us keep our teeth healthy. On Monday we read some books about going to the dentist, and then made a fun snack that I'm sure was great for our teeth. Well... maybe except the marshmallows! 

 They're big old apple smiles (if you can't tell)

On Tuesday we got a special treat of having a dental hygienist come in and teach us about keeping our teeth nice and healthy. Each child even got their own toothbrush!

 HUGE thanks to my friend Audrey! She did amazing!

Thursday we learned a little more about our smiles and played a silly game!

This week in phonics we learned all about the letter "e". How to write it, how to say it, and how it sounds in different places in words. Some new sounding out words we learned are net, wet, set, hen, and ten. No new sight words this week, but keep an eye out for some new cards coming home next week! 

Making "e" with pipe cleaners!

In math we are continuing learning more numbers and right an left. We are also working on counting pennies! I might have a bunch a future bankers! All the students also got their height measured. Can't wait to see how much they grow throughout the year!

This week in Bible class we learned all about Abraham! The students learned about how names meant more back then, and how God changed Abraham and Sarah's names. We also talked about trying to please God, even when it's hard. Just like Abraham tried to please God by sacrificing Isaac. 

We had a fun art project this week too, that tied along great with our dentist week. The students dipped dental floss in paint and swirled it all around a piece of paper. We got some beautiful artwork!

Also, just wanted to let everyone know that midterm is here (yes the year is really going that fast)! I will be emailing all parents progress reports. I already emailed a few, and the rest are coming! 

Coming up...

Doctor week! I am SO excited to have my sister who is a nurse come in! I think I've been talking about it with the students for weeks! We will also be learning about germs, hand washing, and exercise! Our new letters will be "b" and "p". Our new sight words will be "orange" and "love".

Special Delivery!

My special delivery is an update on our week all about mailmen! On Monday we made mail for each other and learned how to set up an envelope. They had fun keeping who they were making mail for a secret and slipping the letter in their mailboxes. On Tuesday we talked about different stamps and we made out own with watercolors.

 Call the US postal service, we have some new stamp designs!

On Thursday we took a break from learning about mailmen, and became them instead. They all made letters and played postal worker together.

 Work never stops in a mailroom

 Mr. Mailman

The amount of mail I received!

We are still going through the Old Testimony in Bible time. On Monday and Tuesday we read about Noah's ark.

 Students working on Noah's ark worksheets

On Thursday we read about the Tower of Babel. We were able to connect the this weeks of Bible time by expressing the importance of obeying God.

In phonics we rolling along with learning to read. We learned the "h" and "w" sound. This led to some new words we can sound out, hit and win. We also have two new sight words, mother and the. I sent these cards home so you can practice with them. 

In math we we are working on number recognition. We also started to work with knowing our rights and lefts. We have a few songs to help with this!

For our "extra" learning we worked with scissor cutting by cutting out a Noah's ark with animals. 

On Tuesday we also worked with how to call 9-1-1, and when it's important to. We all agreed that arguing with your sibling is NOT a good reason to call your cops, so don't worry!

Coming up...

Dentist week! I know teeth doesn't sound like fun, but I think it will be! On Tuesday we have a dental hygienist coming in to talk about brushing! 

Safety First!

Our shorten week was packed with learning about policemen and what they do for our community. On Tuesday we learned about staying safe by wearing seat belts, not talking to strangers, and playing in safe areas. We also talked about traffic lights and played a game of red light, green light. On Thursday we were lucky to have a police officer come and visit the Kindergarten! He talked about what a police officer does, what's on his belt, and even showed us his car!

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We also made a snack made out of graham crackers, peanut butter, and M&M. Super yummy, and cute!

In phonics we are continuing to learn new letter sounds. This week we talked about the letters "s" and "n". This week we are also started learning sight words. Sight words are words that can't be sounded out, so we learn to recognize them. This weeks words are "here" and "is". Any practice at home with these words would be great! 

 Practicing the letter "s" in playdough

In math we are learning all about recognizing numbers, patterns, shapes, and the penny! On Thursday we went outside to practice writing the number two on the sidewalk. 

We're starting to read books in reading. It's really neat to see the kids get excited about reading the stories. I will send the books home once they read them, so keep a look out!

In handwriting we are working on writing the vowels. So far "e" has been a tricky one, but we're getting it!

In social studies we are talking about our community and the workers in it. Firefighters and police men have been this week. 

In Bible time we started at the beginning of the Bible and started to go through stories. This week we talked about Cain and Abel, Enoch, and Methuselah. They were amazed by how old he was! 

This has been a super fun week, and I can't wait to start next week where we will be learning about mailmen!

An Incredible First Week!

Wow! This week has been so much fun! I've loved getting to know every student, and I can't wait to spend the school year with them! The first week is always filled of introductions, rules, and of course fun activities!




The first thing we do in the mornings is to go down to "assembly" and sing with all the kids in the school. A dad then comes in to pray. It is such a blessing to start the day praising!




After assembly we go to our classroom and have Bible time. The first day we made Bible journals that the children will draw in throughout the school year to help remember what we learned during Bible time. This first few weeks we will learn all about the 7 days of creation. It was so much fun this week to go outside and see creation for ourselves!




After Bible time we do calendar and give out the daily jobs. Each student gets a job everyday like "paper passer", "energy saver", and "safari guide". One of the first questions I've been getting every morning is "What's my job?"




Then is when we start class which is full of fun and learning. This week we took a tour of the classroom, drew pictures of our families, a scavenger hunt around the school, and a color science experiment. I usually have tons of pictures of activities, but for some reason the blog isn't loading them. Hopefully this will be solved my next week!


Besides out Bible, class, and recess, there is also a special class every day. The students enjoyed all of them a lot! On Tuesdays they have library, so watch out for books coming home. These books don't need to be returned till the following Tuesday.


This week was such a blast, and I can't wait for more!


Coming up....
Our theme is firemen next week, so we will learn all about fire safety and what it's like to be a fireman! We will also begin learning sounds of letters, like "I" and "t".

An End to an Amazing Year!

I can't even begin to describe how blessed I've been this last year. Each of my ten students is going to hold a very special place in my heart forever! It's been a few weeks since I have posted anything because these last few weeks have been busy! But here are a few memories from these final few weeks.

Zoo Day!
It was cold, and little wet, but it was still an crazy fun zoo day! A thanks to all the moms who came!

 Love the drums!

Student's hatching out of eggs!

 Soo pretty! 

 My little monkeys!

All my students loved holding the maps and following where we were, and where we were going. They probably have a better sense of direction than I do!

What a cold, but FUN, zoo day!

Clean Up (and other last day activities)!

Our last two days were filled with practice graduation, cleanup, and of course some fun too! 

I remember when I was in school we washed our desk with shaving cream, and it was SO much fun. I thought that it would be a great activity! Well, I think I used a bit too much, and maybe the wrong stuff, because the result were sticky tables and sticky kids!

We also went outside to play for a while. The Kindergarteners took on a games of chase with 3 high school boys. It's hard to tell who the winner was!

 10 vs. 3!

Graduation

I am so happy that graduation went well last night. The students had practiced so hard, and really enjoyed performing for their family! Thank you everyone for coming, and to everyone who helped with food, cleanup, and the moms who helped put that book made by the students together. I'm a very sentimental person so that book is the perfect keepsake! 

I don't have any pictures of graduation, but if anyone has time to send me some, I would love them!

Also, if anyone would like the slideshow from last night, just email me and I'll email it to you. 

Thank you students for giving me a fun year! I love you guys!