It seems like it's been forever since I've done a Five for Friday post! Here's what we've been up to in kindergarten world during the month of January!
Snowflake shapes! My students designed a six-sided snowflake and discussed the shapes they used to make their snowflake. Their creativity was amazing! If you'd like a copy of the little recording boxes I used in the lower right hand corner, click on the email button (ateachersheart15@gmail.com ) and I'd be happy to send you a copy!
It snowed in our classroom this week! We were studying winter and here in Maryland it hasn't snowed a bit, so we brought the snow to our room!
Here were my directions:
All set up ready to go: (The ocean breeze flavor made our room smell so fresh!)
I poured ingredients into plastic containers while the students watched, and then I sent them to their tables to mix. We mixed in three sets of plastic containers with lids so I could keep the "snow" fresh for the next few days:
After everyone had enough mixing time, we gathered back on the rug and filled in some words to describe our snow: (Sometime about the baking soda and conditioner mix actually does make the snow "cold!")
And here is the snow on day three. I put one of the containers in the science center and added a handful of different sized and colors of gems. Their job at this center was to find, sort and count the gems. They could sort by size, shape or color. They loved it!
I'm thinking we'll have some real snow soon. But this held us over for a little while!
In math we focused on 3D shapes recently, so we built 3D structures in one of our math centers. Again, my students amazed me with the structures they could create after just a day or two of exploring the marshmallows and toothpicks! It's my goal to try to get more hands on activities into my lessons. They are five and six years old; they NEED hands on learning. And, it is just plain fun to teach this way. When I'm excited about teaching, I know the kids get excited about learning!
Totally addicted to the iteachtvnetwork these days, people. If you haven't checked it out on Periscope, Twitter, or the website, DO IT! It's like Oprah for teachers. A recent scope by Amy Harris on how to stop students who blurt caught my attention. I love this "stop and think" reminder sign that you can hold up to show students it is thinking time. Then, when you want them to answer, you give another signal like a green "go." Such a great visual to help emphasize the importance of wait time. And wait time is so essential for our English language learners! Even after four years of teaching ESOL, I still need to remind myself to slow down and give them time to think!
Random, but this tea diffuser was my sister's Christmas gift to me. His name is Fred and it makes me laugh every time I use it!
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