For anyone who has an iPad at home.  Bugs and Buttons is a fantastic app for any child in this class.  It has a range of activities related to math, literacy, and fine motor, etc.  It is well worth the 2.99 investment.

We used white carnations to look at the structure of a plant.  By placing the white carnations into coloured water we figured out that plants "drink" water through their stem much like we drink through a straw - this was easily observed via the colour change that occurred.  

Our Painted Lady butterflies have emerged from their chrysalids - seeing the process has been extraordinary!  Especially now that we are feeding them and get to see the butterfly use its probiscus to drink!  On Friday we will release them into the gardens and journal about the experience.

It was lovely to hear the children playing xylophones with our wonderful music teacher, Mrs. Koch!

Some pictures of the children playing math games - card games are a GREAT way for them to practice number recognition, and turn-taking.

They use geoboards to make shapes and descriptive language to share their shape with a partner.

Just a note to let you all know that I am now back full-time.

It is finally Fun Day tomorrow!  

The email that just came out stated that there would be an in classroom recess break from 10:20-10:40.  In Kindergarten we will be eating at that time so please send a nutritious snack (maybe even half a sandwich or more) for your child.  This should be in addition to the rice krispy treat that you may have ordered - given the amount of activity that day, these little guys will need to refuel with some good food!  Please also send a water bottle so that they can rehydrate at that time and throughout the day.  Hats are extremely important as well!

It is a western theme, however, I have told children to prioritize comfort - if all they have are heavy jeans to accommodate the theme, you may want to encourage them to forego the costume to avoid over-heating.  Check the weather reports in the morning and decide on the best outfit.

Volunteers, see you at the classroom at 9:00 at the latest to receive your groups and head out for the parade beginning at 9:05.

Warm weather is upon us!  Please send your children to school with hats, especially on Fun Day this Friday!

We are finishing up our study of insects.  They should have a lovely song to sing to you about the 3 body parts of an insect, and other facts/vocabulary to share.  Our larvae continue to thrive and should be moving into the chrysalis stage of the life cycle this weekend and early next week.  7-10 days later they emerge as butterflies.  We will keep them for a couple of days and then spend a lovely bit of our day soon after releasing them into the Brooksbank garden.

Coming up next is a study of plants - specifically, their structure, and life cycle.  Today we began by putting beans into a water glass and predicting what would happen to them over the weekend.  Next week we will watch these beans sprout and grow.  We will even open one up to see what is inside.

Children are deleting phonemes from words now - for example, p-i-g without the 'p' is just i-g.  Boy are they picking it up fast!  

In math we will spend the rest of the school months reviewing and reinforcing concepts learned so far.  Measurement vocabulary, patterning, counting, skip counting, etc.  At home you can combine fine motor work with counting by setting some smaller objects (beans, pennies, etc) out on the table and asking them to pick up 5 using one hand only (this is tricky for little hands!).  Then you can say, how many do you have to put back to only have 4?  Have them put that one into a piggy bank slot or small opening of some kind to increase the fine motor work.  Vary in difficulty depending on your child.  One hand only!

We are finished studying our letter sounds from A-Z and have now started on digraphs (th, ch, sh).  'Th' is particularly tricky as many of them substitute an 'f' sound where that should be.  Do not hesitate to gently remind them of this when you hear it happen at home.