Stone Soup and Turkeys!

Thanks to everyone who sent vegetables for our Stone Soup day! On Monday, the book Stone Soup was read aloud to all the kiddos. Here is a summary of the book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stone-soup-marcia-brown/1100222926
The kindergarten classes were together in Mrs. Howerton's room for the morning activities. They also saw a short video about Stone Soup and made a graph of the types of vegetables that were put into the pot.

 

The soup cooked all day and everyone had an opportunity to taste it during our snack time. Before tasting, each child predicted whether they would like it or not. After eating it, they filled out the rest of their worksheet showing if they liked it and how it made them feel. Some were quite surpirsed to find out they really liked Stone Soup!

 

 

 

 

Also, for Thanksgiving, I read lots of books about the first Thanksgiving, Native Americans, and turkeys. Each child made turkeys from their handprints and drew details to add to their picture. They were so proud of their artwork and looked forward to showing it to their families.

 

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy time with your family and friends!

 

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

 

 



 

 



Election and U.S. Symbols

Last week we had a school-wide election along with voting booths and ballots for all the students (K-6th grade). It took place a few days before the real election. Each student also received an "I voted" sticker! The winner of the election was Mitt Romney. Of course, we all know that President Obama was re-elected to serve 4 more years. By participating in our mock election, the students learned a little about the voting process. I think it was a great experience for everyone.

On election day, I read Duck for President and the kiddos made campaign posters of their favorite candidate from the book: Duck or Farmer Brown. They were so creative and enjoyed the project. They also made a T-chart to show who they "voted" for. The duck had the most votes! Below is a You Tube video of the book.



Also, the students learned about the symbols of the U.S.A. I read books about the Bald Eagle, the Statue of Liberty, and our flag. The kiddos made really cute Statue of Liberty pictures out of construction paper and they were so proud of their artwork! I think they were all feeling patriotic and happy to be Americans. :)

Happy Veteran's Day to all who have served our country!

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

Thankful for Donor's Choose!

Sonic's Limeades for Learning promotion helped our classroom again! The campaign is over now, but we have another project fully funded. I am so thankful and appreciate all who voted or used codes for the project. The project has lots of items for learning literacy and math skills. As soon as we receive everything, I'll post photos. The kiddos were so excited when I told them!

Thanks to everyone who helped make our Fall Party successful. All the children had so much fun. The rotation of games went so well and the treats were yummy too! I was impressed with the unique and cute costumes the children wore. They looked so cute when they paraded through the school!

It was great meeting with each of you during the Parent/Teacher conferences. I made copies of the assessments and will send them home in the Friday folders along with Alphabet charts and prompts for writing the letters.

You are the best parents and I appreciate you so much!

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins!

The students have learned all about pumpkins in the past 2 weeks. There are so many good books for young children on this topic! I read the following titles:

• From Seed to Pumpkin
• Mr. Pompo's Nose
• How Many Seeds are in a Pumpkin?
• The Bumpy Little Pumpkin
• The Runaway Pumpkin
•  Pumpkin (poem)

I also showed the students this video of The Runaway Pumpkin on You Tube:
After reading From Seed to Pumpkin, the students made 3D pumpkins and labeled the parts. They did a great job of following directions. Of course, they used their imaginations by making pulp out of yarn!

Next week we will learn all about bats and spiders. The kiddos were excited when I told them what our next unit would be! Don't forget our fall party is October 31st from 1:30 to 2:30. Children may bring a costume to change into for a parade through the school. Please ask if you have any questions. It should be a lot of fun!

Thanks so much for your support during the Parent/Teacher conferences. It's always a positive thing when we can get together to discuss your child's progress. Feel free to contact me anytime throughout the year if you want to discuss your child's education or behavior. I can meet with you during my plan time 12:30 to 1:30 (Mondays or Wednesdays) and before/after school. I am also available if you need to have a phone conference.

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

New Classroom Rug!

Thanks to Donors Choose and Sonic's Limeades for Learning promotion, we have a pretty new rug! It came late Friday afternoon so the students haven't seen it yet. I know they will love it as much as I do! I appreciate all who helped by voting and using codes from Sonic. I still have one project that has a good chance of getting funded too! Please continue to vote daily and spread the word. The information is listed under the "Donors Choose" label (page) below the title of this blog. Please ask if you have any questions.

Once again, I feel so blessed to have this comfy rug and it will be used for many years to come! Here's a photo:

We will get our thank-you package ready soon and upload photos on donorschoose.org. Remember, I will not post pictures of your child unless I received a permission slip from you. If you need another one, let me know.

REMINDER! Don't forget to send your child's permission slip and money for the field trip on October 16th (Tuesday). It needs to be turned in by October 15th (Monday). The students are really looking forward to going to the pumpkin patch and getting their own pumpkin. Please ask if you have any questions! Have a great weekend!

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

National Fire Prevention Week

In conjunction with National Fire Prevention Week, all the kindergarten classes participated in several activities related to preventing fires and staying safe. The Conway Fire Department brought their fire trucks and showed the students their equipment and uniforms. One fire fighter dressed into his full gear including his mask and oxygen tank to show the children they didn't need to be afraid of how he looked. He crawled on the ground all around them to demonstrate what they might see in case of a real fire. He also expressed a safety rule of getting low because the smoke rises. Each student had an opportunity to wear a helmet and spray the hose too! One student was asked to show everyone what "Stop, drop, and roll" looked like.

I appreciated their visit and their willingness to share their knowledge with the students.  For the conclusion of the visit, a firefighter climbed into the bucket of the ladder and sprayed water in the field by the school. Of course all the children loved it! Also, each student received an informational book for their families, a firetruck foldable, an activity book and a coloring book! I'll post pictures in the group room early in the week. Here are some of the books we read:

 

 

Pluggie the Fire Hydrant came to see us on Tuesday. The students learned more fire safety tips and enjoyed meeting Pluggie. At the end of the visit, Pluggie even danced!



Smokey the Bear came on Wednesday. After a short video about Smokey and fire safety, each child had a chance to either sit on Smokey's lap, give a hug, or just stand by him for a photograph. He was really a huge hit! Each child also received a comic book explaining how he became known as Smokey the Bear and an activity book. Here is a link to the National Fire Prevention's website if you would like to know more information: http://www.nfpa.org/categoryList.asp?categoryID=2017&URL=Safety%20Information/Fire%20Prevention%20Week%202010

 

During our "shared reading" times, the kiddos learned a cute poem titled, Five Little Firefighters. I'm sure if you asked them, they will remember it! Also, I taught them a song written by Mrs. Lewis titled, Did You Ever See a Firefighter? It's to the tune of Did You Ever See a Lassie? It's a catchy tune and all the children loved it!

 

~ Mrs. Eilenstine



Apples, Color Words, and Watch D.O.G.S!

Last week the kiddos had another fun week of learning! Our unit was "All About Apples". During our shared reading times, we read a poem titled, Apples. We picked out rhyming words and color words and even had fun substituting words. The following books were read aloud: Johnny Appleseed, Facts About Apples, The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree and Ten Apples Up On Top.

 After reading this book, the students worked together in 4 groups and decorated trees for each season. They are displayed in our hallway. They turned out really good! Not only did they learn about apples, but also the four seasons.

The students also enjoyed Ten Apples Up On Top! I stacked bean bags on top of their heads to represent apples. They were so funny and loved this activity! Afterwards, they made headbands and attached how many apples (bean bags) they had on top! There was one student who had 10!

The students also used their apples for graphing, counting, and eating! Thanks to everyone who sent in an apple or extras for other students! Our sight words were color words green and purple. Each day the students practiced writing and recognizing the words. The following color songs were also a fun way for them to learn:   http://www.youtube.com/embed/jHIx49XM91s   and http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q-LNLOU1Uag. Next week our color word will be yellow.

Thanks to all the dads, grandfathers, uncles, or other men who came out to the Watch D.O.G.S. pizza night on Tuesday. I am excited about this new program at our school. I know it will make a positive difference for our students! If you were unable to attend, it's not too late to get involved. Please call the office for information.

Thanks for all your support and I'm looking forward to meeting with all of you soon during Parent/Teacher conferences at the end of the month!

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

Sonic's Generosity is Amazing!

Thanks to Sonic, we are getting a new area rug for our classroom! I appreciate everyone who voted or used codes from stickers on wrappers and applied them on Limeades for Learning! We will also receive books about shapes (2D and 3D).

Donors Choose.org is such a wonderful organization! This is my 17th project to be fully funded in 2 years and I am so thankful! We would not be able to have some of the wonderful products and supplies without generous donors who support education!

Please remember to keep voting daily for our other project on Limeades for Learning. We have a great chance of getting it funded in the next few weeks: http://www.limeadesforlearning.com/teachers/view/436259/teacher/867101
Continue to spread the word to your friends and family! THANKS! :)

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

It's Finally Fall!

This week our unit has been "All About Fall". During Shared Reading time, the students have learned a poem titled, Leaves. Each day they have read it and participated in lots of activities such as matching uppercase and lowercase letters on leaves, rhyming, and coloring an emergent reader. I have also read several books about the fall season.

One of their favorite books was: There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves. Mrs. Howerton created cute activities to go along with the book. This was a great book for them to practice sequencing. The students colored an "old lady" and pictures of what she swallowed! Of course, this was also a good way for me to teach them the difference between fiction and non-fiction texts. Next, they put the pictures in the order of when she swallowed them and made a little book.

 

 

The students also worked in small groups and used spinners. This was a fun way for them to make graphs and have a better understanding of how to read their data. They all enjoyed this activity and did a really good job of following directions.

 

During math time, the students matched objects to numbers. On Monday, they worked in small groups and used number mats and manipulatives. Tuesday, they glued foam fish to a page with numbers out of order after I read about Five Little Fish. They also sang along with Jack Hartmann's DVD to a song about fish swimming in the sea. They always enjoy music and movement! Wednesday, they made flip books and glued little pirates to the correct number on the book. Tomorrow, (Thursday) they will count M & Ms and put them under the correct number on their paper. Of course, they will be happy to eat them when they finish their work! :)

 

 

 

 

This is just a little sample of what your children have been learning this week! Also, they are learning color words (sight words). This week we focused on the color red. They loved the following color song from You Tube!: http://youtu.be/Z42JXHZbTU0 

 

Letters: This week they finished learning to recognize and write the Alphabet. Next week, I will begin teaching letter sounds and "Johnny Can Spell".

 

Donors Choose: Please read new information under the "Donors Choose" tab under the blog title. Sonic's Limeades for Learning promotion started this week and we have a great chance to get projects funded by simply voting daily!

 

Have a great weekend and enjoy this beautiful fall weather! Remember to keep in touch with me if you have any questions or concerns!

 

~ Mrs. Eilenstine









Remembering 9-11 and Grandparent's Day

Hello! Here's just a little re-cap of this week in Kindergarten. On Tuesday, all the kindergarten classes wanted to remember 9-11 but of course we didn't want to go into detail with the little ones. We focused on patriotism and heroes instead. The kiddos looked so cute wearing red, white, and blue. Kindergarten through 2nd grade classes gathered around our flag pole to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Our principal, Dr. Snyder, spoke about why we remember 9-11. Our music teacher, Ms. Samuel, sang our National Anthem with everyone.

Later in the morning, the kindergarten kiddos made flags out of construction paper. Since they are learning the sight word "my", they wrote "my" flag and attached it to their paper. This gave them an opportunity to show pride as an American and also practice with following directions. The flags were displayed in the hallway for their grandparents to see during their visit on Wednesday. Here are a few pictures:

Grandparents Day on Wednesday was a huge success! We were so happy to have lots of participation. Our school's honor choir sang a special Grandparent's song. Of course all the kindergarten students sang too! Then snacks were enjoyed, photos taken, and all enjoyed a visit to the classroom

 ~ Mrs. Eilenstine

Humpty Dumpty!

Do you remember reading and singing nursery rhymes to your children when they were younger? Nursery rhymes, chants, and songs are still so important for kindergarten students to develop early reading skills. Also, the kiddos love them! Learning can be so fun!

This week we read lots of nursery rhymes and also listened to songs based on the familiar rhymes. They learned how to sequence after reading Hey Diddle, Diddle. Of course, rhyming was also practiced daily. After reading Humpty Dumpty, the kiddos made their own Humpty Dumpty sitting on a wall! Not only was this activity a good way for them to remember their nursery rhyme, but it was also a good way for children to practice using scissors to help develop their fine motor skills.
Here are a few photos of their artwork displayed in the hallway near our classroom. They did a great job! :)

 

 

 

 

 

Aren't they cute!?! Ask your child to tell you other nursery rhymes that were read aloud to them! They really loved the Humpty Dumpty song by Jack Hartmann. If interested, here is his website with examples of his music: http://www.jackhartmann.com/. All our kindergarten classrooms love it! Mrs. Howerton, Mrs. Lewis, and I had the privilege of meeting him a few years ago after attending his workshop.

 

Have a great weekend! I hope to see you on Saturday at "Community Days"!

 

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

Square Cat!

Last week during a lesson on 2D shapes, I read a book titled, Square Cat. It's about a cat named Eula who is square and wants to be round! It was a fun way to teach "squares" and the kiddos really enjoyed the book. Afterwards, they cut squares out of orange paper and drew Eula's face, tail, and feet. Their artwork is displayed in our hallway and is so adorable! I wrote about this activity on my educational blog and contacted the author and illustrator, Elizabeth Schoonmaker. She was thrilled to hear how much the kiddos liked the book and she liked the photos of their artwork. She even posted a photo on her "Eula" blog! Ms. Schoonmaker sent our class an autographed book of Square Cat too! We were so excited! Here is a photo of the book cover and some of the artwork by the students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ladybugs were created after a lesson on 2D circles. The kiddos cut out circles and did a fantastic job of following directions!

 

~ Mrs. Eilenstine

 



Welcome!

Hello Families!

I just started this blog to share what your little kiddos have been learning in kindergarten! It is still "under construction", but I plan to share upcoming events, learning activities, books we've read, projects completed, and lots more!

~ Mrs. Eilenstine