We Started Patterns

Our Favourite Part of the Day:

On Monday we made apple sauce and had calendar

On Tuesday we made apples and did patterns. 

On Wednesday we learned about Terry Fox and went for a run. 

On Thursday we coloured apples and played outside. 

On Friday we did not have school. 

Apples

On Monday we made apple sauce. We peeled and cut apples before school started. Then we let them boil during calendar. Before snack the children took turns mashing the apples. We let the apple sauce cool and we added some cinnamon and sugar. After we came in from outside the children were able to eat the apple sauce. Some children liked the apple sauce and asked for seconds and some didn't want to try. Many said that it didn't taste like the apple sauce that they bring from home.

On Tuesday we completed life cycle of an apple crafts. This was hard work for the children because it involved colouring, cutting and pasting. These apples looked awesome when they were all done. I got this activity from Robin Sellers and you can find it here.

On Thursday we coloured and labeled the parts of an apple.

Math

We started learning about patterns this week. On Tuesday we learned that patterns happen when something repeats over and over again. We explored this idea with two colours of cubes.

On Thursday we continued different patterns on the white board and then separated patterns by the core component (the part that keeps repeating).

We will continue learning about patterns next week. 

Animated Literacy:

On Monday we drew mom and a mop and wrote a sentence.

On Wednesday we sang "Skip to my Lou" and substituted the nouns. Then we completed a worksheet. I am attaching our lyrics as well as a link to a video so that you can hear the tune for the song.

Skip to My Lou Song

For more information on this program please visit http://www.animated-literacy.com/Animated_Literacy_Home.html

Handwriting Without Tears

This week we learned how to write uppercase letters B and R. 

For information on the order that I will be teaching letters please go to their website: http://www.hwtears.com/hwt/why-it-works/teaching-order

Puzzle Pieces:
The children have been doing a wonderful job presenting their name puzzle pieces. I sent home the "interest puzzle piece" this week. It is a purple piece. Here is my example:

Don't Forget:

Send a healthy snack with your child. A list has been sent home or you can visit 100 Days of Real Food for some awesome ideas.

Each child needs to have indoor shoes, a backpack and appropriate clothing for the weather.

Feel free to contact me anytime with any questions or concerns. I can be reached at the school, by email or just drop in (I am usually around before school).

Another Week in Kindergarten

Our Favourite Part of the Day:

On Monday Astrid showed her puzzle piece and we learned how apples grow. 

On Tuesday we had calendar and played at centres.

On Wednesday we practiced sorting and had centres. 

On Thursday we wrote about apples and had calendar. 

On Friday we went to the park and learned about Mimi Mermaid. 

Apples

We discussed the life cycle of an apple and an apple tree this week.
Apple trees start as seeds, with water and sun they grow into a tree, they grow apples and then we get seeds again.
Apples start growing in the spring with flowers, then the bees pollinate them, the petals fall and a small apple (ovary) remains, the apple grows and turns either red, yellow or green and then we pick them.

We also created a sensory poem about apples. This is the new poem that we will start reading in the morning. They loved being writers and thought that it was so cool that we could write our own poem.

Math

We completed some problem solving questions this week regarding sorting. The children found these a little tough at first but started to understand near the end of the week. With more practice the problem solving will get easier. These problem solving worksheets are from Kindergarten Kindergarten.

Next week we will begin learning about patterns. This is a favourite unit for the children and I am excited to get started.

Animated Literacy:

On Monday we learned about Ollie Ostrich who is a doctor that heals patients with magic olive omelettes. On Wednesday we drew pop (or dad) and wrote a sentence.

On Friday we learned about Mimi Mermaid who moves her magic mop and turns monsters into mice.

The Ollie Ostrich and Mimi Mermaid character pages were sent home, please go over the handout with your child to review the sound and letter. They can colour the picture and then circle the special sound within the song at the bottom. 

For more information on this program please visit http://www.animated-literacy.com/Animated_Literacy_Home.html

Handwriting Without Tears

This week we learned how to write uppercase letters D and P. 

For information on the order that I will be teaching letters please go to their website: http://www.hwtears.com/hwt/why-it-works/teaching-order

French:

This week we continued practicing:

"Bonjour" (hello)
"Comment ça va" (how are you?)
"ça va très bien." (I am very good)
"ça va bien." (I am good)
"ça va mal." (I am not good) 
"Comme ci, comme ça." (So-so)

The children also learned "Comment t'appelle tu?" (What is your name?) and the response "Je m'appelle __________." (My name is ______.)

Centres:

We started a new centre this week called "word work." Each month there will be new activities added to this centre and it enhances their skills as the year progresses. This month the main focus is alphabet, colour words and names. I got this activity from Caitlin Clabby. Here are pictures of a few of the activities:

Also at centre time we had a name art centre. The children had to glue pieces of paper to create a mosaic of their names. The project turned out very neat and added a pop of colour to our classroom. I got the idea from Rainbows Within Reach

Don't Forget:

Send a healthy snack with your child. A list has been sent home or you can visit 100 Days of Real Food for some awesome ideas.

Each child needs to have indoor shoes, a backpack and appropriate clothing for the weather.

Feel free to contact me anytime with any questions or concerns. I can be reached at the school, by email or just drop in (I am usually around before school).

Apples Galore

Our Favourite Part of the Day:

On Monday we had snack and we wrote.

On Tuesday we had calendar and centres.

On Wednesday we did our worksheet and learned parts of an apple.

On Thursday we had calendar and we did writing. 

On Friday we went outside and we wrote F and E. 

Apples

Our theme for the rest of the month is "Apples". We have begun learning a poem called "Apples, Apples". Our focus this week was on rhythm and listening. Next week we are going to begin recognizing words and learn about rhyming.

To start our unit we discussed what we already knew about apples.

At the end of the unit we will write down all that we have learned. It is a wonderful way to see their growth.

We learned about the parts of an apple:

Math

We were able to sort a variety of manipulatives by colour and shape. The children really liked this activity and it is now one of our centres. Next week we will continue sorting in different ways before beginning our pattern unit. 

Animated Literacy:

On Monday we learned about Uncle Upton who hangs upside down from an umbrella tree while being a baseball umpire.

On Wednesday we drew a pup and wrote a sentence.

On Friday we sang "Caught A Fish Alive" and then substituted the word fish with other animals, such as snake, shark and lion. To hear the song please click on the link: Caught A Fish Alive

The Uncle Upton character page was sent home, please go over the handout with your child to review the sound and letter. They can colour the picture and then circle the special sound within the song at the bottom. The song lyrics for "Caught A Fish Alive" were also sent home. It is a fun song to sing your child. Try substituting the word fish with other animals and make up some actions. 

For more information on this program please visit http://www.animated-literacy.com/Animated_Literacy_Home.html

Handwriting Without Tears

This week we learned how to properly hold a pencil and also learned how to write uppercase letters F and E. For information regarding correct pencil grip please visit this website:  http://www.hwtears.com/hwtconnections/2011/oct/gripfeature

For information on the order that I will be teaching letters please go to their website: http://www.hwtears.com/hwt/why-it-works/teaching-order

French:

We have begun learning French. The children have learned: "Bonjour" (hello)"Comment ça va" (how are you?)"ça va très bien." (I am very good)"ça va bien." (I am good)"ça va mal." (I am not good) "Comme ci, comme ça." (So-so)

Centres:

Here is what we did for centre time this week:

1.  2.  3.

4.  5.

6. 7.

8.

1. Fine Motor Skills: it is important to develop this skill because it helps with pencil grip, scissor cutting and more. Fine motor is when we use our fingers. Gross motor is when we use our legs or arms. 

2. Apple Tree: they had to roll the dice and then that number of "apples" they picked off of the tree.

3. Sand Table: right now the sand table is filled with a variety of beans and measuring cups. This will help the children begin learning about capacity.

4. Sorting: this was a continuation of our math lesson earlier. They had to sort the variety of manipulatives by colours or type. 

5. Alphabet: they had to sort the pictures into the different letter groups. 

6. Colour Bingo: the bingo practices colours, listening, learning to work together and waiting for your turn. 

7. Laptops: this is probably one of the favourite centres. The children go to their profile on ABC mouse to practice kindergarten concepts through games, puzzles and reading. Remember to get the parent code from me so that you can access ABC mouse from home. I highly recommend this website to help with all concepts from toddler to kindergarten: www.abcmouse.com

8. Fishing for Phonics: the children take turns fishing for letters. Then it becomes like bingo. The children try to fill their cards by placing the letters on the pictures. 

Don't Forget:

Send a healthy snack with your child. A list has been sent home or you can visit 100 Days of Real Food for some awesome ideas.

Each child needs to have indoor shoes, a backpack and appropriate clothing for the weather.

Feel free to contact me anytime with any questions or concerns. I can be reached at the school, by email or just drop in (I am usually around before school).