ABC Stamps

So when Target was having their awesome sale in the Dollar Spot, I was only able to find 1 set of alphabet stamps on sale (sad face).  But, the others were only $1, and to me, that's worth it. 

I created an activity for my students to "stamp" their name the very next day for morning work.  With the amount of stamp sets I had purchased, I was able to have at least 2 sets at every table.  The morning of, I quickly found out that this was very time consuming for my kinder-friends. 

I really was pleased to find the stamps at such a great price, but will be holding off on using the stamps until literacy workstations.

30 Cents Target Dollar Spot Deals

I suppose Target was trying to make room for new merchandise in the dollar spot.  Whatever... I made out quite well- check out my stash that I purchased, all for 70% off (of a dollar). 

I got some pointers, pom poms, pipe cleaners, happy birthday certificates, letter stickers, cheapo dry erase boards and markers, tin buckets, letter flash cards, animal flash cards, foam blocks, rubber stamps, stamp pads, name plates, labels, chap stick, and MORE!

I already have plans for what I've purchased.  Most of it has been put in the hands of my kids already.  Next week we'll be practicing our "Read/Write Around the Room" workstation and those pointers will be put to good use.  My kiddos already use them around the room for calendar, Reader's Workshop, and at our Word Wall.

We are celebrating our first classroom birthday this week, so the birthday certificates couldn't have come at a better time.  I also got sets of bookmarks and these have already found a home with each of my students in their daily book bag. 

Smellies!

When Target was having their killer deal in the dollar spot, I picked up some of these neat chapsticks.  Tootsie Roll Pops, Trix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Chocolate Chip Cookie, and Fruit Roll Up.  I am continuing my efforts this year to move towards an incentive program that is low cost, easy, and does not involve food or candy. 

Every once in awhile, some friends need an extra incentive.  These will be wonderful "Magic Smellies!"

Windows + Paint = make the gloomies disappear

Not a great photo, but what I like most about my classroom is the light.  This is definitely not a picture that emulates that... but between the blue walls and the big window, the classroom is bathed in light.  (Now that I think back, I took this picture on a rainy day...) 

In my previous classroom, I had curtains hanging up that my mother made for me.  When I moved into a non-classroom/office type role, I passed on those curtains to my sister, a first grade teacher.  They were Clifford curtains and were super cute. 

As this school year was gearing up, and I found myself back in the classroom, I had to do some back to school shopping.  With all of the great finds that I picked up for the classroom, I was running low on funds.  I have been a long time fan of Sara's Art House and decided to take inspiration from her windows. 

I called in the help of my tall hubby (help was needed b/c I have Tyrannosaurus Rex arms).  I pulled out the paints that I had in my craft stash and a paintbrush, showed Tim some window-painting-inspiration from Sara Mincy's website and put him to work.  They really look better in person.  Everyone has really liked them so far. 


When the custodian came by, I mentioned to him that I would be responsible for cleaning the windows.  He was not at all worried.  When my principal came by, I again mentioned that I would take responsibility for the windows.... and she wasn't worried.  The painted window valance was a hit!

Today's Password: GO

Our Kindergarten pacing guide is really on a fast pace.  We just introduced 3 sight words during the second week of school and from here on out, it's 5 sight words a week.  That's right, one word a day.  So, to help my friends learn these words by "sight" I'm using some fun techniques.

Each time I introduce a new word, we give it a cheer.  You can Google search sight word cheers and easily find lists of different cheers.

Next we add it to the word wall.  We review our entire word wall each time we add a new word.


As a another way of assessing my kids, I make it the password for our room.  I put a cute sign on my door and any time someone enters the room, they need to tell us the password.  My kids think it's really neat!

Building a Community

 Our pacing guide has "Good Citizenship" listed for the first month of social studies instruction.  Well, we can only go over our classroom rules so many times.  After I think we've spent enough time on our classroom rules, school expectations, and basic safety stuff, we dive into our study of "community."  Not only is the word "community" foreign to most of my kids, they have varying levels of experience with a school environment.  Throughout the past week, we've been building up our classroom community. We made this "tree" of our classroom learners.

We have had 2 Fridays in our school year so far, and I am proud to report that on both days we concluded our day with our class meeting.  This was a time for us to discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly.  We celebrated our successes and made note of how we can make better choices.  We close with our secret handshake. 

My goal for the school year is to promote problem solving skills.  When we've had some bumps in the road (behavior-related), I remind each student that they have two choices.  Then I spell out the two choices.  They have been able to assess and apply decision making skills successfully. WOOHOO!

Daily Math Routine

 I'm trying to strengthen my daily math activities.  I have always had a "healthy" serving of math during our morning calendar time.  We count the days in the month, recite the days of the week, count the days we've been in school (both with a 100s chart and a hundreds, tens, and ones pocket chart), and graphed the daily weather.







This year, I added a daily attendance count.  Currently, we're waiting until our math time after lunch to daily take attendance.  This attendance isn't what is turned into the office- this is really just a head count routine for my class.  We take the stick of unifix cubes and pass the stick of 20 all the way around our circle.  We count as each student takes a cube off.  Then, to double check our math, we count as we rebuild the attendance stick.  We make sure to make note of the students who are missing (none so far- perfect attendance-WOOT WOOT).

I'm considering adding another routine to our math time.  My mother gave me this really big container that used to hold pretzels.  It's huge- really!  To give you an idea of scale, there are about 10 baby food cups stacked together inside of the jar.  I'm going to make a label, slap it on that container and call it our "Counting Jar."  Each day, we can count something different.  I'm seeing this as more than just for counting though- think about how my kiddos can reach deeper into their minds to think about capacity! 

What do I need to use?????

When my students arrive in the morning, I have my calming music going... their morning work is on their table... and they know to look at the chalkboard for directions.  During my second year of teaching, I pulled this random idea out of my magician's hat with the help of some school supplies, magnets, and a hot glue gun.

In an effort to reduce the number of times I have to give directions about morning work, I write the directions on the chalkboard.  There are always some kinder-friends that say, "but I can't read." 

This is a great way to show students exactly what materials they need, without talking.  It helps give my classroom a quiet, calm start.

Dry Erase Boards

My kids LOVE writing on dry erase boards.  When I moved into my new classroom, I found 4 dry erase boards... and they were kinda yucky.  I poured over the internet to find a solution to my dilemma.  I knew about using the shower wall stuff that you can buy at Lowes or Home Depot, but I wanted something cheaper... and easier for me to make.  Learning Pavilion had a solution for me!  This post about plastic plates was a life changer.

Next I had to find my own plastic plates.  Luckily I was taking a planned trip to our IKEA store and remembered to keep my eyes out for plates that would do the job.  

And of course, IKEA has everything you could ever dream of needing!  The SOLBRÄND plate was just what I needed. 

 

My kids think it's so cool that they get to write on plates.  

M is for Miniature?

As I mentioned earlier, we've been learning more about the letter "M" this week.  Let me be clear, this is not a "letter of the week."  This is simply an introduction to the letter m.  The goal is to build letter recognition, letter sound knowledge, and begin to apply the letter sound knowledge to decoding.

My daily schedule includes morning work as the students arrive.  Later on in the school year, we will spend this time on word/language study, but at the beginning of the school year, we're focusing on letter recognition and letter sound knowledge.  This will naturally lead to decoding.  But until we're ready for decoding, our morning work is based on activities that we have practiced as a class.  For example, today's activity required cutting and using a glue stick .  We had practiced that as a class, so I felt confident that my students could focus on that activity for morning work.  I really like to have a quiet start to the morning, so I prefer to give my students tasks that I know they will devote their attention to.... like our "M is for macaroni" activity.

This activity started with a trip to Sam's Club to buy a 6 lb bag of elbow macaroni.  I think I got a good deal.... 6 bucks?  Tim had to convince me that a second bag wouldn't be necessary.  Again, I'm not great with spacial-math scenarios.  

Next I created my letter M template- Just used Word and added Text Art.  I printed this on cardstock because I was certain there would be a lot of Elmer's glue use.


In the morning, I put out containers of noodles at each table, along with glue for each student.  Some took the minimalist approach.....

While others layered up the noodles.

When we made our class list of /m/ words, one of my students pulled out "M is for miniature."  I paused for a moment, and repeated what she said.  "Yeah," she said, "you know, miniature, mini, small?"

Parent Volunteers

I am blessed to have a great number of parents that have expressed an interest in volunteering in our classroom.  I have a variety of ways that parents can help.

1.  The Play Dough Maker's Club
     These parents sign up to make an assigned color from our classroom play dough recipe.  We have a variety of allergies, so I prefer that parents make the play dough by the recipe.  My sister (a first grade teacher) mentioned to me that she preferred store bought play dough, but I thought that this would be a nice project for both parent and child.  We will use the play dough for letter formation practice and number formation practice.

2.  Writer's Workshop
    The second half of our Writer’s Workshop takes place immediately following lunch.  Students will be writing in their journals at this time.  Parent volunteers would be guiding students during their writing, encouraging students to write the sounds that they hear, and writing what students dictate as being their journal entry.   The time commitment for this would be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

3.  Reader's Workshop
     During Reader's Workshop, I am making a special time in my schedule on Fridays for a Mystery Reader.  The Mystery Reader will come in during our Reader's Workshop with a special book to read, either from home or from our classroom library.  I welcome parents with younger children to come during this time.  As long as the younger sibling can sit on the carpet and enjoy the story, we are happy to have them as guests in our classroom.  Those that can volunteer without a younger sibling with them are welcome to stay and assist through our literacy workstations immediately following Mystery Reader time.

Here's a freebie download of my Volunteer Opportunity form.

Google Doc of Volunteer Opportunity Form

Homework in Kindergarten

During my first year of teaching, I sent home worksheets for homework.  Not my best moment, I know.  ALTHOUGH, I'll add that some of them were actually kinda neat that required interactive help from a parent.  

Since then, I've taken a new approach to homework.  Most of my homework assignments are not worksheet based.  For example, the homework on the first day of school was to bring in 3 things about you.  The kids loved sharing what they put in their bag!  It was also a great way for me to get to know them.

Homework on the second day of school was for the students to tell their parents about their day at school.  

Homework gets more serious from here on out.  There will be reading, word study, and math practice.  We'll kick off Book Buddys this week.

Journeys (aka Journals)

We began writing in our journals on day one.  I had to giggle when my new friends called the journals their "journeys."  Oh, how wise they are- their journals will truly be an example of their journey through kindergarten.  That's exactly why I like to begin writing in journals from day one.  When we look back, it will be so neat to see growth.

I've tried a variety of methods for keeping journals organized.  One year, I gave each student a binder clip as a bookmark.  This summer, I came across this ingenious idea from Jaime at What's The Buzz In First Grade.  A ribbon bookmark!  SO SMART!

So, first I scrounged around through my craft stash, and then through my mom's craft stash for ribbon.  We had ribbon from my wedding five years ago and ribbon from other projects.  I showed my wonderful paraprofessional the idea and she took care of business and added a ribbon bookmark to each journal.

Another part of the journaling process is making sure that each page is dated.  This is important for documentation purposes.  One year I begged a date stamp from our school librarian.  She no longer used it as the records were now kept in the computer database and not in the card catalog.  This was easy for me to do and I may do this again.

But to start off the school year, I printed the writing prompt and the date on a mailing label.  This solved the problem of having a writing prompt to accompany the journal entry.  My next step in the journaling process will be inviting parent volunteers to come in and help me during writer's workshop.  I'm so excited- I have many parents that have expressed an interest in volunteering in the classroom.  This will be a great opportunity.

M is for Marshmallows, Moose, and Mice!

We will be kicking off our study of the alphabet with the letter M.  My hubby asked a common question- "Why not start at the beginning of the alphabet?"  My response was.... well, it's kinda like Wheel of Fortune.  You start with the most commonly used consonants and then gradually fill in vowels.  Once you have the most commonly used consonants and a few vowels under your belt, you can begin to build words.

Our reading series begins with letter M.  In my previous school division, we had to use the core reading series with fidelity, meaning we couldn't deviate from the series.   We could supplement, but not replace the instruction suggested in the series.  Currently, I'm planning on using the reading series for my reader's workshop whole group instruction.  My literacy work stations will take place during small group instruction in reader's workshop but will not be guided by the reading series.

After the week is over, I'll give a report with photos of our fun with the letter "M."  For now, here's a sneak peak of some of the books we'll be reading this week.

Mathematician's Chair

Math instruction in my room includes a variety of methods.  I use hands on manipulatives with a whole group, followed by small group hands on practice.  I also use math journals with my students.  I haven't decided when the math journaling should take place, at the beginning of our math time to activate math thinking or at the end of our math instruction, to act as the closer.  Any suggestions? 

I'm giving math journals a revival in my classroom.  I tried them my second year of teaching and wasn't able to stick with the routine.  One of my new school year resolutions is to give math journaling a second go.  While browsing the internet, I found a great resources from Mrs. Wills Kindergarten- a freebie download of math journal labels, 5 writing prompts, and an example of her use of math journals in the classroom.

The night before school started, I created a "Mathematician's Chair."  While back to school shopping in my parents' storage above the garage, I found an old plastic patio chair.  I thought this would be a perfect addition to my classroom (mostly because it was free).  I originally was just going to spray paint it and call it a day.  But when I committed to having math journals, I knew my math journaling time would conclude with a time of sharing.  I found a combination of foam sticky numbers and shapes and wood chip numbers and used fabulous E6000 glue to attach them to the chair.  Then I spray painted away with one of my favorites- SILVER spray paint!  It looks splotchy in the picture but I promise it looks better in person- it's just difficult to get a good picture of it.  

As I intro math journaling, I'll be taking my time with it- I want to be successful and I know that in kindergarten, if you start things slowly and habitually, it becomes routine.  I'll keep you posted on my adventures in math journaling!

I Survived!

That's right, I survived the first week of school.  While it's technically not a full first week of school (Labor Day), I did it!  Everyone got home okay every day!  WOOHOO!  (My mom considers that to be a success.)

I had forgotten the craziness of the first day of school.  When I put the last kid on the bus... I was drained.  I had forgotten what it was like to have 20 kids with varying levels of "school" experience.  Some have no experience with the routines like walking in a line, using a classroom bathroom, sitting in a chair, practicing good listening, eating in a cafeteria...  But as the week continued, we learned about our classroom expectations and consequences.  I sent home my monthly behavior calendar on day 1- students colored in an apple to indicate their day.  I started my clothespin management system on Day 2.

We also practiced those routines.  I cannot express the importance of modeling and practicing to perfection the expectations for the classroom/school routines.

I took notes on the advice from KindergartenKindergarten and spent two or three days practicing the cafeteria routines.  First I modeled the expectations (as well as what not to do), then we returned to the classroom and made a chart together of the good and bad choices that can be made in the cafeteria, and then we revisited the cafeteria the following day and reviewed the chart and made that super cute lunchbox.

Each student has a 3 digit long cafeteria number that they must enter to buy lunch.  In the beginning of the school year, we just write these numbers on a popsicle stick and the students hand that to the cashier.  But our end of the year goal is independence, so my kiddos will need to learn how to enter their own number. Hubby is going to make me an outline of the keypad for my students to use.

It's going to be a great school year!

Recycle, Reduce, and Reuse

All teachers feel the crunch of these tough economic times.  I've tried to limit what items I purchase with my own money.  There are just so many really useful things that can make our lives easier as teachers.  From IKEA, to the famous Target Dollar Spot, to the great penny deals at Office Max and Staples, the small items that teachers purchase can really add up to make expensive bills.

I am making an effort to go green (somewhat) in my classroom.  I want to reduce waste and reuse items.  I began by trying to find items for my classroom by "shopping" in our house and storage.  My classroom had some recess equipment that I knew would need to be contained in some way, shape, or form.  I found this green tub from one of my sister's college days.  I used some leftover vinyl and my mother's Cricut machine to personalize the tub. 

Teachers (especially kindergarten teachers) are hoarders.  Let's just get that out in the open.  There's always something that can be used again or in a different way.  I saved all of the crayon stubs from the last time I taught kindergarten.... three years ago.  My mother and I sorted all of those little itty bitty pieces of crayons into a muffin tin and made some cool, multicolor crayons.  My next attempt with "crayon making" will be to create the crayons in fun candy molds.  

This next picture needs a caption to tell the story.  This brown wrapped package contains 100 brown paper bags. You know, the perfect size for paper bag puppets, mini books, and just perfect for the kindergarten teacher/hoarder.  Any time I wanted bags during my first year of teaching, I would go to the dollar store or WalMart to purchase them.  One of the veteran kindergarten teachers on my team shared her secret with me.... which I shall share with you.  Go to your neighborhood ABC store (if you're in VA) and ask the friendly salesman if they could donate paper bags to your classroom.  It works!  Apparently, if you call the main office, they even have coloring books that they will send you for free.

We are also saving and reusing plastic bags in our classroom.  This plastic bag holder is just right (purchased at IKEA for a small fee) but I have also used an empty tissue box to store plastic bags.  There are always things that need to be sent home in a plastic bag...  I'll let you use your imagination to fill in the blanks.

Go Green in Kindergarten!