Two Hoots and A Holler

Hoot #1

 This year I wanted to focus on kindness and teach students how important it is.  I bought the book Bucket Filling from A to Z which is based off of the book How Full is Your Bucket? for Kids.  I have used this book as a read aloud to go along with our Alphabet Bootcamp.  We have been teaching a letter a day, and teaching a way to fill buckets that begins with that letter.  I have seen my students excel at sharing, using manners, and being kind to everyone. 

Over the summer, I read on a blog how a teacher used a "Giant Kerplunk" game to encourage her students in a positive way (can't remember the name to give that teacher credit...sorry!).  I decided use the same idea as a way to encourage students to be kind.  When a student is caught being kind, the student gets to pull a "kindness stick" from the Giant Kerplunk.  Eventually, all of the balls will fall.  When that happens, the class has earned a reward.  The reward maybe free centers one afternoon, an extra recess, lunch in the classroom, no shoes in class, or something that doesn't cost a dime, but the students will LOVE it.  

P.S.  My Giant Kerplunk came from a discount store and some of the pieces were missing....hence the duct tape!  It serves it's purpose though, and it is colorful too!  

These girls were caught by Jamie helping each other get to class one morning.
It was TOO sweet seeing my students smiling and helping one another first thing in the morning!
 

Hoot #2

Don't you just love that feeling when you see your students implementing something that you have taught them? I sure do! We have been working on the beginning stages of addition this week. The last two days, I decided that we would start our "student teachers". These are usually our helpers for the day. They get to come up and literally be the teacher. I do not do this on days that I am introducing a skill, of course, only when reviewing a skill. Everyone gets to be a student teacher several times throughout the year. The student teacher must do exactly like I do, including asking the other students questions. By doing this, we are meeting so many standards and the students have a blast learning!

This Week's Holler... 
This week's in holler goes out to Fiskar! Yes, that's right, the company that makes all of those student scissors. They get a big THANK YOU!! They donated enough scissors for every teacher to get what they needed for their classroom! We love our community!

Two Hoots and A Holler

Hoot #1

In kindergarten, it is our goal to develop readers who have a love for books.  In order to promote this, we have already started using book boxes in our classrooms this year.  Book boxes are used during IDR time, Read to Self time, DEAR time, or whatever you may call it.  This year's group of students are SO excited to get their book box and read their books.  I have never had a group of kids so excited to read this early in the year.  It makes my teacher heart happy!  I learned from a co-worker last year to use whisper phones during independent reading.  Because students this age are emerging readers, it is good for them to read out loud.  But it can get very noisy and distracting with 26 different voices.  Using whisper phones made out of PVC pipe (from Home Depot or any hardware store) helps with the noise level and helps students be able to listen to themselves read.  Students were able to stay engaged in independent reading time for 5 minutes on the first day!  We are continuing to work on our reading stamina and increase it daily.  

Jitterbugs love reading too!

Hoot #2

Well, we have survived our first field trip! We have been studying the 5 senses, so we took a trip out to Litcherman Nature Center. The students loved it. They got to rotate through centers to explore their senses and learn how different animals use their senses.  They were able to see and hear the animals in the woods as they took a hike. They were able to see the fish, geese, and turtles eat food. They were able to taste things that were sour and investigate their taste buds. They even were able to feel a snake and opossum. It was very warm, but an awesome way to reinforce the skills taught in our classrooms.

We love when parents come along as we
learn!

 

We LOVE field trips, but these kiddos were "field tripped" out on the bus ride back to school! 

 
This Week's Holler... 
This week's holler goes out to Mr. Mike, AKA Cowboy! He has been in charge of our PTA for several years. He does an outstanding job! He and his helpers are the reason our students and teachers get the things they need. Well, the past week, he has been very sick, but we are glad to report that he is doing much better. We love you Mr. Mike and all that you do for us! 

    

Two Hoots And A Holler

Hoot #1
Now that the school year has started, we are all about routines and procedures. Our students have started centers and love them. In the beginning, I know this can be a headache. We have 27 bodies that are excited. They go in 27 different directions to do their favorite center and have a million questions as they do them. Rest assure, that this too shall pass. We find that it helps to put them with partners, and encourage them to work together in the beginning. Usually, they will slowly start doing centers independently has the year progresses.

Jitterbugs are busy counting sets.

Letter recognition

Writing our letters and numbers

Hoot#2
 Learning has never been so much fun!  We truly believe in age appropriate, hands-on, fun learning activities.  We teach 5 and 6 year olds, so it is only natural that they learn through play.  We are hard at work learning so many things. If you know "littles," you know that you have to spice it up a bit to keep them engaged in their learning. As many of you know, we went to RCA about a year ago, and we were truly inspired by the things we experienced there. We have always moved and grooved, but since attending, we do a lot more and with more excitement. Helpers get to do their large group time on tables, including dancing and singing! Have I mentioned how much fun teaching kindergarten can be?!?!

This Week's Holler...
We started this school year with a brand new principal and assistant principal.  We have been truly blessed to get these two women as leaders at our school!  They truly care about their teachers and the students.  We are so proud to have this "Dynamic Duo" to lead our school to greatness!  This holler is for you Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. Cobb!  Thank you for all of your support and faith in our school!