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