Global School Play Day

Who had the best school day today???  

We DID!!!

Today was Global School Play Day.  The focus for today was unstructured play.

Though our play day was unstructured, it was supervised by me and other classroom teachers.  Throughout the day, we hosted many different classes and got to visit another.  It was not organized play and the children were allowed to learn and play with each other.

In the classroom, the opportunities to play were endless and the creativity, teamwork, fun, and imagination was bountiful! It was amazing to see the smiles, laughter, happiness and positive attitudes shine!

Our first visitors were from our First Grade Buddies in Miss Klipfel's classroom. The fun was just getting started!

Then came a visit from our 2nd Grade Classroom Connection, Mrs. Mulligan's class.  It was so wonderful to see the second graders and Kindergartners play and work together.  

Then, a visit to Mrs. Murphy's Kindergarten class was absolute perfection.  The children got to visit another Kindergarten classroom and play with their friends.

Last, we got a visit from our First Grade Classroom Connection, Mrs. Scharffenberg's class.  The giggles and creativity abounded.  Watching the children teach each and share ideas with each other was inspiring!

It is my hope that this one day of play will inspire families to plan for more unstructured play time during non-school hours and help children’s imagination and creativity to grow both in the classroom and beyond.

Share in the comments below how your child felt about GSPD and we will share them in class.

Can't wait for Global School Play Day 2018!!

Comfy, Cozy Day

It was an exciting day for Comfy, Cozy Day here in Kindergarten!

The children began their day with coloring a picture of themselves in their pajamas or comfy clothes.  

Then, we headed down to the library for a special reading of The Polar Express by 

Chris Van Allsburg.  Each child was greeted by a very special conductor, Mrs. Libby's grandfather.  He happily punched each Polar Express ticket and excitedly called out "All Aboard!" as the children began to watch a special reading of the story.  

After the story, the children each recieved a special  silver bell to wear.

Then the children made a magical Polar Express train and wrote what they would see on their way up to the North Pole.

Finally, the students use their math skills to create number sentences using "Five Silver Bells".

It was a magical and fun day in our comfy, cozy clothes!

Wishing you and your family the very best during this holiday season!

Teddy Bear Day

It was Teddy Bear Day on Friday! 

The children got to have a great day reading the last of 5 different versions of The Three Bears stories which was Godli Rocks and the Three Bears. Over the past 2 weeks, the children focused on different stories such as The Three Bears by Paul Galdone, The Three Bears by Jan Brett, Somebody and the Three Blairs and Tackylocks and the Three Bears.  We focused on retelling, characters and setting.  The children voted on their favorite version and illustrated and labeled their favorite part of their favorite book.

Then the children got to explore with their teddy bears or favorite stuffed animals!

The children got to measure them with cubes to find their height, compare weight on a balance, discuss texture and size, and fur length.

It was a great day celebrating the end of our Three Bears unit!

So much fun!

Happy Thanksgiving

Throughout the month of November, the children and I expressed our gratitude and thanks for so many things.  Last week, we were able to celebrate all of what we are grateful for.  The children had many things to share what they were thankful for: their pets, families, cousins, and toys, of course!

The children began with making their Pilgrim hats and setting the table for our feast.  We even "carved" our turkey.  The children were very surprised to see that it was filled with popcorn!

We all hope that you were able to spend time with your family and friends over the Thanksgiving holiday and wish you the best during this holiday season!

Thank you to all of the parents who donated water bottles, popcorn, napkins, plates, and corn muffins.  The children even got to make their own butter.  Some were adventurous enough to try it!  It was delicious!

I am so thankful that I get to teach each of your children.  The look of excitement, wonder, and laughter everyday makes my day.  Thank you to you, the parents, for your support, understanding and kindness.  Working together with all of you is amazing.

Wishing you all a Happy Holiday Season!

Scientists

Good morning kindergarten scientists!

Today our student teacher from Endicott College, Miss Ryder, led the class in a literature based science experiment.

First we read the hilariously funny book by B.J. Novak called The Book With No Pictures.

After reading the story, the children were shown the special ingredients they used for our experiment.  They were then asked to go to a table and assigned a task.

Each student got to add their ingredient to the bowl: glue, liquid starch, and acrylic paint. The mixer was the first one to begin to squish and knead.  With each ingredient, the children were asked if each ingredient is a liquid or a solid.  Then the real fun began as the mixing began!  The laughter, giggles and faces were so fun to watch as the Bluurf was began to take form!

After the Bluurf was made, the children gathered at the rug for a discussion about the experiment.  The children had to explain whether the Bluurf was a liquid or a solid.

If you would like to make your own Bluurf, here is the recipe:

1 cup Elmer's glue

1 cup Liquid starch

Acrylic paint- just a squirt

Squish and knead for about 4 to 5 minutes.

*It makes enough for 4 children to share so if you don't want that much decrease the recipe by half.

Please share with a comment and picture if you make this fun science experiment at home!

Twenty Yawns

Over the past few weeks, the children have been a part of Global Read Aloud which is an author study that is done internationally.  We have been reading books written and illustrated by Laura Castillo.  Last week, we read the book Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley and illustrated by Lauren Castillo.

It was a story about settling down after a long day at the beach and snuggling with your favorite stuffed animal.  We asked the children to bring in their favorite stuffed animals and talk about their favorite things to do with it.  The first reading was done by Mrs. Baker.  Each time she read the word "yawn" the children had to raise their hands.  Needless to say, this brought about many laughs and giggles. Then, Mrs. Marshall came in to talk to children about calming strategies.  The children learned breathing techniques and listened to calming music.

These children are really beginning to show their writing skills!  The prompt was "What do you like to do with your favorite stuffed animals?"  Every one did a great job!

Check out our awesome video!  It was so much fun making it!

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Please comment below to let us know what you think of our movie!

Happy Halloween

Halloween 2016 is in the books!  We had a blast celebrating Halloween on a Monday!

Here we are ready to go and then so tired from the parade!

Costumes were great and the smiles, even the silly faces, were even better!

A huge to thank to all who helped to organize, volunteer their time, and donated items to make our Halloween party so successful!  We were able to enjoy an arts and craft activity with coloring and foam stickers and delicious snacks.  We kept to a healthy party of popcorn, pretzels, apple slices, and fruit along with water.

The last night of October homework was to count your candy.  Please comment below to share how many pieces you got trick or treating!

Also, please remember the Fuller Meadow School Council is collecting Halloween candy (cards and letters, too) for Operation Troop Support.  If your family would like to participate, please send in your candy donations to school by November 9th.