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!

Author Reading

Today we were very lucky to have a published author visit our class. Mrs. Kathleen McMahon is a retired teacher who loves to write children's books. She shared two of stories that she wrote, her husband illustrated, and her son edited. Mrs. McMahon encouraged the kids to write on a daily basis and reinforced that they have the best stories in their heads. The kids loved listening to her read about a cat named Mister Pudge. Thank you to Mrs. Breede for coordinating this VERY special guest in our class!

Here is Mrs. McMahon with a few of the students who she taught at Norwood Park Elementary in Pre-Kindergarten. Thank you for being here at Garvy today and for the new books for our classroom library!

If interested in buying a copy of her books yourself, you can contact Mrs. McMahon by email at KMcM925@comcast.net

Does your child enjoy writing at home on their own? What kind of stories do they write?

Jewel is a Mommy

Thank you Mason and Kading family for watching Jewel this weekend to see that she gave birth. I've been watching it today and can't tell how many cub bears were born, but can hear little squeaks and moans of a cub. The discussion board on the website states there are at least 2 and maybe 3 cubs. Congrats Jewel and welcome to the world little black bear cubs!

If you missed it earlier, click here for a link to a live web cast of a bear in hibernation. This coverage is provided by the North American Bear Center.

What would you name the cubs?

Photo credits to Jim Stroner

Bate Bate Chocolate

It's going to be a perfect day for some hot chocolate. Back in December we were lucky to have Savannah's mom bring in her Molinillo, a wooden container for mixing, from Mexico. She taught the kids of the tradition of making hot chocolate. First you put a chocolate disc into the bottom of the Molinillo. Then you pour in warm milk and mix it with the wooden stick. Last you pour it into the cups and enjoy! We enjoyed it very much. Thank you Mrs. Storr for coming and sharing this with our class.

Click here for a link to a short Dora video singing a song about this special treat.

Bears

Today we watched a live webcam of Jewel a hibernating bear. Click here for a link to the video. The kids LOVED watching her sleep and she was even moving around. They got to see her huge claw and she even winked at us. It was awesome! We'll be checking back in on her daily to see if she's given birth to a little cub. Thank you to Mrs. Neshawait for sharing the link!

While watching the live webcam the kids also wrote about bears. I wrote the words Jewel and hibernate on the board for students to use.

"Jewel put her head in." -Adam

"Jewel is hibernate." -Megan N.

"Jewel is going to have a baby when she goes to sleep and hibernating." -Elena

Estimating and Everyday Math

Estimating is an ongoing component of the Everyday Math curriculum. To support this concept each child made a paper chain that matched their height. We then looked at the paper chains and estimated how many links were in each chain. The kids wrote their estimates on their chalkboards and we counted the links. Check out the data below in our class chart.





Learning numbers and practicing writing them without reversals is fun in Kindergarten!

What's the longest paper chain you can make at home? Would you use a pattern? Would it be taller than your parents?

Kid in a Box

When I taught in Urbana, there was an amazing Kindergarten teacher named Jane. She was an inspiration to me because of her patience, interests, and philosophy on teaching young children. She once shared a game that was called "Kid in a Box." It's pretty simple, the kids close their eyes and then a student is selected to go into the box. There is no top or bottom to the box, I lift it up and in they go. Once safe and secure inside the box, everyone opens their eyes and observes their surrounding to to figure out who is missing. The kids at the carpet guess and when they figure it out, the hidden kiddo pops up. As simple as it is, the students love to play the game and request it on a daily basis. It kind of reminds me of "Heads Up 7 Up." Do you remember playing that game in grade school? What is one of your child's favorite games to play at home?

PS - Thank you to Garvy's security guard and janitorial staff for asking me if I'd want to save the big box from the recycling!

All About Penguins

We've been learning about penguins all week and have heard some really great stories. My favorite penguin book is Tacky, he's not like other penguins who can dive gracefully and who march in order. Tacky is an odd bird who often "saves the day" by being different from the other penguins. Check out the Tacky books by Helen Lester for yourself (look for the pengiun wearing a hawaiian shirt).

Miss Bridget, an AWESOME sixth grade student at Garvy, comes in each day to volunteer during her recess and the kids love her. Today she read through a Scholastic News with the students. She asked high level thinking questions, I am convinced that she will be an amazing teacher someday!


The kids have been waddling around the room and today completed a science experiment about the brood patch and feathers to keep them warm. Here are some pictures of the kids trying to move with the egg on top of their feet (the brood patch of a penguin).

After trying to move across the rug and meet their science partner, they came up with an idea to tuck the egg into their socks, boots, and even pants. This made moving with the egg much easier. These are some smart kids with great ideas!

The next challenge included moving the egg from one partner to another, similar to how the mother penguin moves the egg to the fathers brood patch while she goes to look for food.

Finally we learned about how feathers keep penguins warm. Each student held feathers in one hand and then placed an ice cube on top. They compared that to their hand without feathers that also had an ice cube placed on it. EVERYONE agreed that the hand with feathers was much warmer than the one without.

Here are some facts about penguins, straight from the kids;
"The mom passes the egg to the dad when the mom needs to get food for the egg." -Adam

"Penguins swim in the water." -Maggie
"They can slide on their tummies." -Lillian
"Rock jumpers can jump on rocks and they swim." -Ocelot
"I learned that penguins waddle." -Paul
"Penguins have the things that carry the eggs." -Farris
"If your egg cracks you'll have to wait another year for the baby to hatch out again." -Lynette
"Penguins swim like they fly." -Elena
"I learned that penguins put their egg in a brood pouch." -John
"Feathers keep a penguin warm." -Bobby
"Penguins there is a really much types (Little Blue, Yellow Eye, Emperor) of penguins." -Russell
What did your child enjoy during our penguin unit? Can you find more interesting facts about penguins?
Have a great three day weekend!

Scholastic Book Orders

If you are interested in ordering books this month I would like to encourage you to do so. Scholastic is offering MEGA bonus points if a combined class total equals $100 or more. I used these bonus points to add more books to the classroom library as well as to give gifts to students.

clubs.scholastic.com/

Class Activation Code HNH4V

Deadline to order is January 28, 2012

Donations

When cleaning up from breakfast at Garvy I use old plastic grocery bags (Target or Jewel). If you have a collection of these at home and would like to share, please send them in.

Thank You!