Kindergarten Wiki

Visit my Kindergarten Wiki Space when you have time.  http://armourkindergarten.wikispaces.com/

On my site, I have extensive lists of fun activities to do outdoors and what your child can do if he/she is bored.

I also have links to online reading and math sites.

Butterfly Release

Our butterflies completed their life cycle.  First the caterpillars ate and ate and then they became a chrysalis.  Finally they emerged into a beautiful Painted Lady Butterfly!

Here we are releasing them out on the playground.

Learning the Numbers

In Math these next two weeks the students are learning to name, show and write the numbers 0-5.  At first it seems like a difficult task, but it doesn't take long for them to catch on.  Here they are using play-doh to make the numbers.

Frog and Friend

I set up a frog habitat at the science center and decided I'd better get some pond water for our little friend.  I scooped up a pail of water from our local lake and was so surprised to see this creature!  It is in the bottom photo and it is a kind of aquatic insect called a Water Scorpion.  It is not a real scorpion.  It is about 3 inches long and covered with green, moss. Its tail is used to obtain air from the water's surface, much like a snorkel.  Here is more on the Water Scorpion at this site:

A Water Scorpion

http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/INVERT1/Waters1.htm

Patriotic Songs

Have you recently heard your kindergartener singing patriotic songs at home?  That is part of our morning ritual.  After calendar math, weather discussion, writing about our day and the Pledge of Allegiance, we sing a patriotic song.  I have taught them two so far, but soon they will be learning more.  They catch on pretty fast!

Here they are singing  "You're a Grand Ol' Flag".

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird Visits the Classroom

A tiny, stunned Ruby-throated Hummingbird

One morning a boy and his mom brought in a shoebox with a tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird in it.  It had been injured by their cat and couldn't seem to fly.  The good news is that later on when she took the bird home, it had improved and it was able to fly away!

The students were SO excited to see a little hummingbird up close.  The bird was about as tiny as a k-kid's thumb and such a beautiful metallic green.

Like I usually do when something like this comes to light, I cease the moment to teach about it.  I read some library books about Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and we watched a video about them on the Promethean board too.  It was interesting and here is what we learned:

• The Ruby-throated Hummingbird is the most common hummingbird in the eastern part of the U.S.
• They can fly backwards and upside down.
• They migrate during daytime hours instead of at night like many small birds do.
• Their nest is the size of half a walnut shell and the female usually lays two tiny eggs.
• They eat a juice in flowers called nectar and they also eat insects.
• This bird is attracted to the color red and reddish flowers.
• The hummingbird's enemies are dragonflies, Praying Mantis, and frogs.  They also can get caught in spider webs and be eaten by spiders!  The biggest problem for them are glass windows as they often crash into them.

The Day of a Kindergartener

I try to keep learning fun and exciting for the kids.  We work hard, but they sometimes don't realize that they are learning as they are enjoying it so much. 

The students also have some different teachers and  "specials" throughout the day including: title help a few days a week, music 2 days a week, physical education 2 days a week, guidance 1 day a week, and they love lunch time!  Here are some photos of those parts of their day.

Here they are at 9:30 Music class!

Recess time!

Title I small group Math time

P.E. in the gym

Lunch time!


 

Journal Writing

It may seem odd to you that kindergarten students write in a journal, but it is something that we do nearly everyday.  At first, the pages may have a basic drawing and on some pages you will see where I have helped the student try to write a sentence.  Throughout the year the drawings become more advanced and your child will start to draw letters, then words using inventive spelling and eventually they will be able to write on their own. 

Each child is at a different level and that is okay.  I try to get them to learn something new each day.  Each day I do a lesson teaching them how to write and how to use a "magic line" if they just can't figure out how to sound out a word.  I explain to the kids that their writing is called "kid writing" and mine is "grown-up writing".  I don't want them to think that their writing is wrong, but just different.  The goal is to get a child to feel free to write and express themselves without the pressure of it being perfect.  I think that you will enjoy seeing what your child was thinking about at this young age.  It is also interesting to see the progress that they make throughout their kindergarten year.

Some of what journal writing teaches:

• how to read from left to right
• how to read and write
• how to spell and sound out words
• how to use correct punctuation
• how the spoken word can be put into words

• 

Hiking and Birding at the Lake

 

Today the teacher thought we should go on our first hike at the local lake.  We looked for signs of summer and of fall.  We noticed that some trees were green, but they were starting to turn yellow.  We saw big cracks in the ground, so we know that we need rain again.  We saw some animals too.  We saw the yellow butterfly, a big, black horsefly, a baby fish, a Painted Turtle, a garter snake, lots of grasshoppers, two squirrels, one girl had a bee on her back and of course we saw a lot of birds.  Well, at least the teacher did.  We brought along our binoculars and the children are learning how to use them.  Some of the birds we saw: American Robins, sparrows, Yellow Warbler, lots of Chimney Swifts, a Belted Kingfisher, Mourning Dove, Cedar Waxwing and  some saw Barn Swallows. 

 

We went across the bridge and we looked at the weeping willow tree.  Then onto "Grasshopper Land", which is the brush pile west of the cemetery and its loaded with grasshoppers.

 

We talked about what nature is and on our walk back to the school one of the boys said, "I really LOVE nature!"

 



Cool Bird Videos

Here are some cool bird videos that I've shown the children.  They really like to watch them, so I thought you might like to watch it with them.

Pollination video:  http://www.youtube.com/v/xHkq1edcbk4?version=3

Osprey - The Ultimate Fisher:   http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Osprey+fishing&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=B78B4D49622C509A49F5B78B4D49622C509A49F5

Ruby-throated Hummingbird:   http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ruby-throated+hummingbird&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=CFC615AF9A2562E2A81CCFC615AF9A2562E2A81C

Belted Kingfisher {This is bird is at our lake now.} http://www.arkive.org/belted-kingfisher/megaceryle-alcyon/video-00.html

A Creepy Looking Visitor

 

Our First Day of Kindergarten

It was a wonderful first day of school!  There are six boys and two girls.  I can tell already that we will have a fun time learning lots of new things!