Six Simple Things to Smile About

1.  A new library card
2.  Kids wearing glasses
3.  Recycling McDonald's toys
4.  The Kindergarten traveling fish tank
5.  Publishing student writing
6.  Pretend banks where students put money they've earned for good behavior

I hope you all have a great weekend.  I'm looking forward to a fun one in Champagin, running the 1/2 marathon I've trained for and spending time with good friends!  What's on your agenda for the weekend?  The weather report makes it sound like tomorrow will be a perfect day to stay in pajamas and watch movies.  Whatever you do, ENJOY!

Bear Hunting

Yesterday I introduced a new read aloud story that I picked from a Scholastic book order (thank you parents for ordering online because they gave us this book).  It was new to our class, but many of the students excitedly remembered, "We're Going On a Bear Hunt" from their pre-kindergarten classes.  They shared all the fun activities their teacher(s) had done with them; singing songs, going on a pretend bear hunt, and learning about bears.  I looked up the song and found this AMAZING video on You Tube.  Here's a link to the online story if you want to watch it yourself.  The kids loved it!      

Then we checked back in on Jewel and her cubs.  The kids were shocked that they had left the den and were no longer sleeping.  Here's the link to the live webcast of their home in Minnesota.  I love hearing the sounds of the running water and animals in the background!

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm your child has for a new book?  Do you prefer finding new books at the library or taking a chance and getting them through a book order?

We've Been Busy

I'd like to send out a BIG thank you to the two families who were the top bids on our class book.  Both the Breede and Surnit families bid $200 for our class book, earning $400 total!  Thank you for your generous donations to Garvy, I hope you cherish the book for years to come.

Today I'll give you an update using pictures. 

Dennis Hehn brought in his lizard to share with our class. 

Recycled artwork; old boxes cut up to make a robot by Maggie and a season by Adam.  

Sharing stories on the Nook Color in small groups.  

Conferences Tomorrow

I meant to print this out and send it home with everyone today. I'm hopeful that you all held onto the confirmation slip that was sent home. In the spirit of Earth Day (conserving paper), here's the list of times your families are scheduled to attend conferences tomorrow. Also, please think of a goal you have for your child/children to reach by the end of the year. We'll be working together to make goals to work toward throughout the next 8 weeks of school. See you soon!

12:00 - Peter

12:10 - Maggie

12:20 - Paul

12:30 - John

12:40 - Mason

12:50 - Lillian

1:00 - Savannah

1:10 - Russell

1:20 - Adam

1:30 - Gabby

1:40 - Farris

1:50 - Leah

2:00 - Elena

2:10 -

2:20 -

2:30 - Calvin

2:40 - Alyssa

2:50 - Milan

3:00 - Ocelotl

3:15 - 4:00 BREAK

4:00 - Destiny

4:10 -

4:20 -

4:30 -

4:40 -

4:50 -

5:00 - Megan H.

5:10 - Bobby

5:20 -

5:30 - Michal

5:40 - Joe

5:50 - Megan N.

6:00 - Lynette

Silent Auction Preview

This year at the Garvy Silent Auction you all have an opportunity to bid on our 12x12 class book titled, "Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." It includes both student writing samples and pictures of the children. Tomorrow during Report Card Pickup you can preview our book, and if interested place a bid. We're excited to extend the bidding to families who are unable to attend the auction. Sadly, I'm unable to attend the auction as well because I'll be running a 1/2 marathon early Saturday morning on April 28th in Champaign, Illinois. It's my favorite race of the year because I went to school at U of I, my very best friend lives in Urbana, and I've been training since the end of January!

What do you remember from when you were in Kindergarten? How has it changed? How is it the same?

Raz-kids.com on the Nook Color

Today was the first day we used the new Nook Color Tablets during reading group. The students were navigating raz-kids.com to read leveled books. It was amazing to watch them pick up the new gadgets and use them with little support. I'm excited to see continue to grow with the use of our new technology. Thank you Mrs. McGlade for providing our class with these tablets!

Do you have a tablet at home? Do still prefer reading paper books to your child over an e-book?

A Great Week Back

The past four school days were great. After a long break from school I always come back energized and look forward to spending time with my students again. They all have fun spirits that inspire me to approach life with a "glass 1/2 full" mentality.

There were many events that made me smile this week...

1. Four new Nook Color tablets to enhance student literacy achievement. Thank you Mrs. McGlade!

2. Giggles throughout the room when breaking apart the word, "underwear" during phonemic awareness practice.

3. Mrs. LaFleur complimenting the students on ALL being characters of the month. The character trait was friendship and I nominated the entire class because they are the best of friends.

4. A "thank you" post card from Ms. Diaz visiting her daughter in NJ.

5. Observing reading progress during small reading groups!

6. Co-teaching social skills with our schools social worker, Mrs. Callan.

I hope you all enjoy the long weekend! Do you have any fun plans for Friday? Has anyone been to see the jellyfish exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium?

All About Ladybugs

Yesterday I read an information (non-fiction) book about ladybugs. Before reading, students asked questions about ladybugs. The book provided answers to most of their questions.

Questions we had before reading the story...

Do ladybugs make a cocoon? Kind of, they make a shell.

Are there different colored ladybugs? Yes; orange and red.

What do they eat? Insects, specifically aphids.

Are they poisonous?

Do they have black dots? Some do, some don't.

After reading the students shared information they remembered about ladybugs from the story.

Ladybug facts...

"They use their antenna to smell." -Michal

"The hard wings protect the soft wings." -Mason

"They use their claws to pick up insects." -Megan H.

"They eat aphids." -Russell

"They lay eggs in the Spring." -Bobby

"Some don't have spots." -Leah

Eric Carle Author Study

We've been busy in Kindergarten learning about animals in the books written and illustrated by Eric Carle. The students made some beautiful artwork along the way. When I was hanging their work in the hallway today several teachers commented positively on the creativity and colorful illustrations.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Sequenced events; beginning, middle, and end.

Mister Seahorse

The students drew a seahorse and then tore apart paper to make a colorful collage.

Little Cloud

Students chose a shape for a cloud and then used a mixture of shaving cream and glue to illustrate. I tried to rotate this picture several times but it would not cooperate.

What is your favorite Eric Carle story? Do you ever buy his books at Kohl's for $5 with all proceeds benefiting children's health and education?