Kindergarten Field Trip

We had a wonderful day outdoors at the lake!  We saw 42 different species of birds, played on the playground and flew kites!  We enjoyed the picnic very much! We birded down two different trails and we all agreed that birding was our favorite parts of the trip.  I'll bet no one is surprised to hear that!

We saw this Double-crested Cormorant at the lake in town as we headed out.

This Baltimore Oriole was there too.  There are many orioles in town right now!

The kids loved swinging on the swings...

...and playing on the slide!

They had a great time!

The monkey bars were a big hit too!

Peek-a-boo!

On our way to the trail, we looked over the bridge.  No water was underneath, as it is very dry.

We finally got our first glimpse of the lake.  Sweet!

"Hey!  There's the school van!"

We were all excited to see our first Rose-breasted Grosbeak!  We saw 3 of them!

 We liked this cool bridge along the trail!

There were quite a few Western Kingbirds at the campground.

We enjoyed watching them when they were fly-catching.

The trail had quite a few downed trees, but that didn't stop the Kindergarten Birders and their fearless teacher!

They loved climbing on the huge rocks.

Begging for the picnic began at 9:30!

We were able to get one kite to fly really well.  The other one - not so much.

This is a really good kite!  I will get you the information on where to order one.

Each child made a pine cone bird feeders for our feathered friends.

Each k-kid also looked around for cool things to weave into their Y stick.

We made giant bubbles and tried to catch them.

The teacher had us pose for a few photos.

"Teacher!  Look! Pelicans!"

We saw several Blue-winged Teal, Mallards, and 22 Double-crested Cormorants on the lake.

We climbed the steps up the big hill to see the lake for our second birding hike.

Here we are with the teacher!

This is cool!

The teacher was happy to see her first Sanderling of the year!  Good find, Jake!

The only two girls in the class are best buddies!

Wow!  A Yellow Warbler!  What a pretty bird!

We were tired and thirsty after the last hike. Time for Jenessa's birthday snack and some juice. 

My Wiki Space

Here is the link to my Wiki Space:  http://armourkindergarten.wikispaces.com/
Hopefully this site will be helpful to you!

This is where I keep lists like these:

Boredom Busters - what could your child do when he says, "I'm bored, Mom!"

Nature Activities - I thought of many outdoor activities for your child!  As you know, I really think its important for kids to be outside more.

Reading Websites

Math Websites

Summer Review

When my kids were young, I loved the free, laid back days of summer and I remember how hard it was to get them to do school work then.  It is very important to keep the skills fresh in your child's mind, so that when they return and enter first grade, they will not have to play "catch-up".  I recommend that you work on the kindergarten skills for review.  Maybe you could have a set "school time" where everyday or certain days at a specified time you work on some skills.  Keep it light and fun.  Maybe he/she could have a sticker chart where they could earn a sticker for each session and earn prizes like:  a picnic day, a birding hike, a beach ball, playtime at the park, etc.

Remember to limit "screen time" with your child.  Kids love TV, video games and computer time, but we all know that it is not good for them to spend hours at a time sitting in front of a screen.  Be strict about that now before they get older as it becomes more difficult then.  Set a timer and when time is up that is it.  Your child will be all the better for it.  Then they need to get outdoors, read or do something else. 

They can do reading and math nearly everywhere and anytime.  At the store you could have him/her read your grocery list or read words in the store.  They could read signs while in the car.  They can do addition and subtraction while setting the table or eating their food.  Be creative!  Help your child see how what he/she is learning in school is relevant to daily life.

There will be a list of summer workbooks coming home that you may purchase.  There also are many awesome websites for you child to utilize.  My wiki space also has many ideas:  http://armourkindergarten.wikispaces.com/

Here are some ideas for learning time:

Language

Read the reading booklets that I sent home each week
Study the Word Wall and have him/her learn how to spell and write the words too.
Have your child write the grocery or "to-do" list.
Practice writing sentences or write a letter to a loved one or ME either by mail or email.
Go to the city library!  It is a cool place and they usually have a fun summer reading program with prizes!  We are so fortunate to have that library, so we might as well take advantage of it.

Math
Work on addition and subtraction flashcards with sums up to 10.
Give your child story problems to solve.
Review the coins.
Name and write numbers 1 - 30.
Count to 100 by 1s, 5s, and 10s.
Name and find shapes in their environment.
Make and extend patterns.

A Masterpiece for the Teacher!

 

Mist-netting

This bird was weighed, then had his wing and tarsus measured.  Next, a numbered band was carefully place on his leg.  Then someone got a chance to hold him and release.  The number on the band and measurements are put on a national data base, so that if this bird is caught again, they can see where it came from and compare information.

 

Bird-banding

This young birder is holding a Clay-colored Sparrow.

These folks are getting their first close-up look at a migrant bird.

The ornithologist is showing the kids a bird.

This bird kid is holding a Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  It is just a bit larger than a hummingbird.

The kids loved get a close look at a bird!

Lincoln Sparrow

Song Sparrow

 Orange-crowned Warbler
You can see the tiny bands that he puts on each bird's leg.  Each band has a number on it. 

Birds at the Lake

The kids and I went out to the lake for a quick look.  I wanted them to see the Osprey before they left and we did get to see it.  Some of us even saw it dive down to nab a fish! 

 

We also saw many of the Yellow-rumped Warblers that are passing through the area.  They are headed north, so we only have a short time to see them.

 

While we were standing on the bridge, the Purple Martins were hovering over us only 2 feet above our heads.  They were so pretty! 

 

There were other birds there too:  Ring-billed Gulls, Tree and Barn Swallows, Blue-winged Teal, Double-crested Cormorants, Great Blue Heron, Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds, and many others.  It seems like sometimes a person sees more birds on a misty or rainy day.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

The Yellow-rumped Warblers are not so afraid of people and the kids were able to get close to them. 



Uh-oh!  What happened to the Canada Goose's nest?  This doesn't look good.

Arbor Day

The kids and their young Black Hills Spruce trees!

Every kindergartener in the county gets a tree on Arbor Day.  What a nice tradition!

Osprey

Osprey are very impressive raptors!  There were five of them at the town lake after school yesterday.  I have never even seen one in town before, so this was a nice surprise! I saw them sitting in the trees and flying about.  There call is loud.  Here is a photo of one from yesterday.

To learn more about Osprey check out this site and video:

All About Birds - Osprey

Osprey video on ARKive

Yellow-rumped Warblers

Yellow-rumped Warblers are beautiful migrant birds that have recently invaded our town.  Often they go unnoticed, so when I saw that there were many around the school at noon, I took the kids out on this windy day to see if they could catch a glimpse of these active, little birds.  They were able to see quite a few of these little warblers and they quickly fell in love with them!

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Getting a closer look!