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?

Welcome Spring!

Uh oh, I hope I didn't jinx it. How could I resist from feeling like today is the perfect Spring day? The highlight of my day at Garvy was taking the students to the garden for reading time. Elise commented, "this school has a very beautiful garden." I'm so excited for her to see it once Ms. Columbus and her gardeners have planted new flowers, it truly is a beautiful space.

During reading time Leah sat down next to me on a bench and read almost the entire book, "Ten Apples Up on Top." It is the perfect story for reinforcing our new sight word out and the number words one through ten. I was so proud of her for never giving up on this looooong (over 60 pages) book!

How did you and your family enjoy this beautiful weather? I'm going to enjoy it at a friends for a lobster boil (fresh from Boston), sitting outside, and RELAXING. No more National Board for me tonight!

Kohl Children's Museum

I love everything about the Kohl Children's Museum and today was a perfect field trip. A BIG thank you to the parent chaperons and to the kids for making the day run smoothly. They learned about water, their bodies, sounds, movements, carpentry, air, and dramatic play of being a veterinarian, grocery story shopper/checker, and sandwich maker. Here are a few photos of the kids in action, thank you Mrs. Storr, Mrs. Micic, and Mrs. Hernandez for passing these along. If you have any to share please email them to me and I'll put them up.

What was your child most excited to tell you about when they got home?

Green Eggs and Ham

Would you like them here or there?

Would you like them ANYWHERE?!

Today I read one of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories, "Green Eggs and Ham." I just love how persistent the little creature is who won't take no for an answer. After reading the story and talking about our favorite part, the students illustrated an excerpt from the text. Can you find my spelling error? Whoops! They put the poems in their poetry folder when finished. It's a lovely collection that they've illustrated throughout the year and will be sent home in June. Here are samples of student work:

Here's a link to Garvy's own Mr. Kent Joseph starring in Seussical the Musical as Horton the Elephant. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxEhi-U4g_4&feature=related

CPS restricts me from cooking green eggs and ham at school because everything must be store bought. The next time you make scrambled eggs for your family add one drop of green food coloring and a slice of ham. Try them! Try them! And you may. Try them and you may, I say! Do you like green eggs and ham? What's your families favorite Dr. Seuss book?

Six Simple Things to Smile About

1. Dr. Seuss

2. Running in the rain

3. Students that want to be "ninjas" when they grow up

4. Listening to my students READ on Raz-kids.com

5. Encouraging words from my National Board mentor

6. New technology resources from Mrs. Berlage

Here are the kids who completed the challenge homework for February. Well done!

This weekend I'm going to be working on my National Board portfolios. I have until the end of March to finish all four and I can't wait to send them in. Your children have learned so much this year, they are making it easy for me to write about their achievements. I hope you enjoy the weekend and I'll see you all on Tuesday.

What are your plans for the long weekend? Is anybody going to see Dr. Seuss' new movie "The Lorax?"

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!