Happy Leap Year!

The highlight of my day was playing Leap Frog with the kids on the playground. We're so lucky to have a beautiful outdoor space that isn't muddy (thank you turf) and beautiful sunny days like today.

Yesterday I found a way to make a Mancala game at home. Here's a picture of the one I made. Can you find the "pit" with 3 Reese's Pieces Cereal instead of 4? I couldn't help it, I'm training for a 1/2 marathon and was starving after a run.

If you want to make your own, just cut up an old egg carton. Put 4 pieces of something (dried beans, marbles, legos, etc) in each hole. I used empty yogurt containers as my mancalas. Here are the rules:

1. The Mancala 'board' is made up of two rows of six holes, or pits, each.
2. Four pieces -- marbles or stones -- are placed in each of the 12 holes.
3. Each player has a 'store' to the right side of the Mancala board.
4. The game begins with one player picking up all of the pieces in any one of the holes on his side.
5. Moving counter-clockwise, the player deposits one of the stones in each hole until the stones run out.
6. If you run into your own store, deposit one piece in it. If you run into your opponent's store, skip it.
7. If the last piece you drop is in your own store, you get a free turn.
8. If the last piece you drop is in an empty hole on your side, you capture that piece and any pieces in the hole directly opposite.
9. Always place all captured pieces in your store.
10. The game ends when all six spaces on one side of the Mancala board are empty.
11. The player who still has pieces on his side of the board when the game ends captures all of those pieces.
12. Count all the pieces in each store. The winner is the player with the most pieces.

Did your child tell you about Leap Year? How old would a child who was born on February 29th be in Kindergarten?

Mancala Online

Today I started to teach one of my favorite board games, Mancala. I have several wooden game sets, but decided to show the whole group how to play using our StarBoard. The students were quick learners and picked up on the strategy quickly. Here's a link to an online version of the game, it explains the rules and models correct play. I will warn you that the computer is VERY good and hard to beat. Good luck!

http://www.thekidzpage.com/freekidsgames/games/nggames/mancalagame2.html

Would you rather sit down and play with your child? Target sells the wooden game board and stones for $5, worth every penny!

Do you have a favorite game that your family enjoys playing? Have you ever let your child win?!

100th Day of School

The 100th day of school is one of my favorites, we've been counting up to it all year. We did all kinds of fun activities; made necklaces, read books, made pizzas with 100 toppings, wrote the numbers, made a Centipede, and had a yummy trail mix. Another highlight of the day was having Miss Gilbert come back to visit. Here are some kids dressed up like they are 100 years old, so fun!

Oh the aches and pains of being 100.

What did your child enjoy most about the day? Do you know how many days until the end of Kindergarten?

A Room Full of Authors

Thank you to all the Kinderfamilies that were able to make it to the Author's Celebration today. The kids were so excited about all the positive feedback! It's very important for them to see themselves as authors/illustrators, and today they did. I wanted to keep their writing at school (to add to our classroom library), but they would not have it. They brought them home to share with you. Enjoy!

Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd

Yesterday Kindergarten had two VERY special visitors. We got to meet Mr. Abraham Lincoln and Mrs. Mary Todd, the 16th president and his wife. These two were dressed to the nines and told stories of being president and the first lady long ago. Here are some connections our class made:

"I like his tall hat." -Ocie

"I have a Abraham Lincoln book at my house. He had a tiny little classroom." -Lynette

"His life was not bad. He and Mary dressed fancy." -Savannah

Here are some interesting facts given by Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln:

**His horses name was Old Bob and the dogs name was Fido.

**He wore the top hat so he could be tallest and get noticed by people.

**There is a museum named The Long 9 in Athens, Illinois. It is dedicated to Mr. Lincoln and the other lawyers he worked with to move our state capital from Vandalia to Springfield (all wearing signature top hats).

**He liked to write poems.

**Abraham and Mary had 4 boys.

**He created the 1st Thanksgiving at the White House (known then as the Executive Mansion). His youngest son loved all animals and wanted to save the turkey from becoming dinner. Mr. Lincoln gave the 1st pardon to a turkey.

I'd like to send a BIG THANK YOU to Mrs. McGlade for finding this team, Mrs. LaFleur for coordinating the special presentation, and to all the parents who have supported the PTA. Funding came from your generous donations!

Did your child tell you about Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln's visit? What did they share? If you could meet any president (dead or alive), which would you choose?

Six Simple Things to Smile About

1. A nice note from a parent.

2. A lovely Valentine's Day party.

3. Mystery readers.

4. The contagious smiles on kids faces.

5. Hearing stories about family vacations.

6. Running 7 miles after a stressful week.

BONUS #7 - Valentine's Day chocolates for the teacher, thanks Kinderfamilies!

Do you have any fun plans for the 3 day weekend?

Why Stop at Six?

This week was full of moments that made me smile.

1. Students completing extra homework to earn "lunch bunch," eating lunch in the classroom with their teacher.

2. New math and literacy games for the StarBoard, purchased with funds from Adopt-a-Classroom. A big thank you to the Kading, Nilles, and Hernandez Families!

3. Teaching about Groundhog Day and having the kids make predictions. Because he saw his shadow we will have six more weeks of winter. Thank you Mrs. Neshawait for the cute groundhog craft (loving Pinterest)!

4. A visit from Miss Gilbert!

5. A dozen beautiful red roses from Destiny, just because.

6. Being nominated for the Golden Apple award, I am honored.

7. Listening to Russell read a story to the class.

8. Listening to Lynette and Savannah share stories they had written at home.

What made you smile this week? I hope you all have a great weekend!