Two Hoots and A Holler

Hoot #1

This hoot is all about worms!! This week, as we were doing an overview of all things Spring, and our kinders took a special interest when we talked about worms.  So we made a special day of it!  This was an exciting day for all of us.
 Ms. Jamie's Jitterbugs LOVED worm day, they were telling everyone all about it!

 Before they saw their worms, each child made a worm hat.  they were asked to give their worm a name just as their parents gave them a name.  This was going to be their "baby" for the day. We placed the name that they gave their worm on their hat. Next, they created their worm habitat using moist dirt.  The dirt was easy to find since our school is next to field of soybeans and the farmers had just finished tilling the field for planting.

Next the worms came out!! We bought some from a local bait shop.  The children got to come up and pick the worm that they thought fit the name that they had given.  
Some of them really thought about this before choosing.

This sweetie was so thrilled her worm loved the habitat that she had created for it.  
She said "We have to get a picture of this!"

We wrote stories about our worms.

 My favorite area was the discovery center! These kids literally amazed us!!  In this area, they observed their worm in its habitat.  When I saw this, I had grab this pic.  They were comparing their worms! I loved listening to their conversation!

 After they observed the worm in their habitat, they were able to take the worm out and put it on the plate to take a closer look at the worm.  Some chose to use the big plastic tweezers that we purchased from Dollar Tree.  Others just dug in with their fingers! Once their worm was out, they used magnifying glasses to get a closer look.  They illustrated their findings and wrote about things that they found interesting about their worm.

They also measure their worm and recorded their findings.

Finally, at the end of our day, we released our worms back to their original home and thanked them being a part of our day!

Ms. Jamie was on a mission to get some of that Delta Dirt for her worms!  When I saw her out there digging from my window, I immediate wondered what her husband had done now!  LOL, I am kidding, but I did ask him.  I had to get a picture of her digging in the field.  It is not something you see everyday!  She doesn't know I added this to the blog post yet. . .hopefully she will find it as funny as I do! 

Hoot #2
Unfortunately, worms FREAK Ms. Jodi out!!  So her class ended their space unit by visiting and learning from a 5th grade class.  Our 5th graders had just finished making their space projects, so it was perfect timing for us!  We paired up a 5th grade student with a kindergarten student, and we practiced a lot of speaking and listening skills!  The 5th graders LOVED being the "teacher" and talking to the younger kids.  It was great to see them interacting together!  It is so funny because now the 5th grade class and the kindergarten class are BFF's!  
When they see each other at lunch, they have to hug and say hello!  

 
Both classes ended the day by having an Ice Cream Sundae Party!  We finished our end of the year state testing, and all of our kindergarteners tried their best! Every student showed so much growth from the beginning of the year until now!  We are so proud of each and every one of them!  They worked hard to earn this treat...they deserved it!  

This Week's Holler. . .
Our Holler this week goes out to Holly Ehle from the blog, Mrs. Ehle's Kindergarten Connections.  This lady has simply amazed us with her enthusiasm and drive!  We were invited to her Spring Blogger Meetup, where we spent a weekend with some of the most talented teachers and bloggers.  The way that she brought so many educators together for this fun celebration was simply amazing.  Her blog is  full of wonderful ideas for new and seasoned teachers.  She is a double "H" threat! lol  She is Helpful and Humble.  From the first time we met her, it felt like we were talking to a friend that we had known for years.  You WANT to visit her blog and check out her TPT store!!

Holly Ehle, We think you ROCK!!