Busy December

December was a busy month in our classroom. Our month started with our Winter Program. All of the kids did such a wonderful job performing for their families. The next day we celebrated "Grinch Week" in our P.J.'s with the help of a couple parents. We made gifts for the parents which is always fun. Wrapping up the fun we celebrated the end of our food unit by following a recipe with our 4th grade buddies to build Gingerbread Houses! Finally, we took a ride on the Polar Express!! I look forward to seeing everyone in the new year!

Project Week

I am so excited for this week. On Wednesday, the last of over 20 turkeys in disguise should be appearing in our classroom. They are hoping they will not be recognized as a turkey and spared this Thanksgiving.

Also due this week are Transportation Projects. The students were suppose to create a project that showed different types of transportation. They should be able to talk about the different vehicles and how they travel. This is always a fun project.

With the short week this week and all of our wonderful projects we will not be having regular sharing this week or next. Instead the students will be sharing and discussing their at home projects.

GOING ON A SHAPE HUNT

During the last two weeks we have been exploring shapes. During this unit we went on walking field trips around our school looking for shapes in the environment. Some of the new information that students learned about shapes was that all shapes with 4 sides are grouped together in a category call QUADRILATERALS.

I Am Heading Back To School

So I am really excited to be coming back to the classroom on Monday, October 6th. I have really missed all of my little campers from last year and I can't wait to get to know my 4 newest campers.

Lucky for me my first day back is one of my favorites. We will be exploring Bishop's Pumpkin Farm. And I will get to follow up with some pumpkin activities!

See you Monday!!!

Here We Go

Well the school year has officially started. We are excited to see all of our returning students and to welcome 4 new students to our class. This is going to be an exciting year! This year our classroom has a camping theme that was brought to life by the hard work or Mrs. Kirsten Gamble and Mrs. Julie Magee. Thanks for all of your hard work ladies!

Kinder Meet and Greet

A phone call with your assigned time slot should be coming home this week.  This is not a time to conference. If you would like to set up a conference to discuss anything at this time please let Mrs. Gamble know and she will be more than happy to set something up with you.This is a time for your child to become familiar with their classroom. They can discover where to put their backpack, lunchbox and where they will be sitting. This is also a time for teachers to learn how the students will be getting home and with whom. This helps to avoid confusion during the first couple days of school.

Classroom Supplies

As always your child will be provided with all of their classroom supplies to start the year. But as you see all of those back to school specials you might want to pick up some items for your child to use at home. Also in Kindergarten we do go through lots of supplies so if you see a good deal on something you would like to donate to our classroom it is always appreciated. We go through lots of crayons and glue sticks. Play Dough is also another great resource that we can never have enough of in our classroom. As the school year gets started we will have a donation list available, but remember you are never required to donate.

Another ongoing donation that is always appreciated by the students is snacks and 3oz dixie cups to serve them in. Our class does have peanut and egg allergies and as I learn of any others I will pass that information on also. So if you are able to provide snacks and can avoid these items it would be greatly appreciated.

First Week of School

Well I can not believe that school starts in less than two weeks already! I hope everyone had a great summer break and that you were able to relax with your families. I am hoping to come by and see and meet all of the students in this years wonderful class during those first couple of days. On Wednesday, August 13th there will be a short meet and greet in the Kindergarten classrooms so watch for information to be coming to you soon. Then school starts on Thursday, August 14th. The first 2 days of school are minimum days for only our Kinder students. It is a nice transition for them.

Do you have a play dough tool box yet?

If you have not made a play dough tool box for your child yet, ow is the perfect time. Play dough is a great way for your child to use their imagination as well work on their fine motor skills. I know both the kids in my class and my own kids love exploring with play dough.

Here are some items I like to include: cookie cutters, scissors, golf tee(for practicing writing numbers and letters), small toys (ex. dinosaur) that they can hide inside their play dough, plastic knifes, forks and spoons, bottle caps, buttons, rolling pins. I have included a link that will give you other ideas and other reasons on why a tool box is a good idea.

Play Dough Tool Box

Depending on the size of your tool box it is also an easy activity to take with you on those family vacations. Play dough is a great activity to do in a hotel room or at a camp site when mom and dad are making dinner. Have fun, use your imagination, and think about what your child enjoys. Happy Exploring!!

Learning to Blog

I am excited to announce that this year we will have a classroom blog. I will be blogging throughout the year on what is happening in our classroom. Students will also have opportunities to be guest bloggers and share their learning with our followers. Some students may just want to show examples of their work and others may want to explain and describe their learning experiences. Please invite your relatives near and far to our blog. The students will get excited to see where our blog is being read.