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Sunshine & Smiles Kindergarten, chesapeake academy, Irvington, VA

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In Kindergarten, we are...

Won't you join us?

Thank you all for such a wonderful year:)

May 2018

The final week of school is always fun. The countdown, the clean up and completion of everything kindergarten. Anticipation and wonder of what first grade will bring. This year, we closed up shop with as much learning excitement as could be smooshed into 3 1/2 days as possible!

Tuesday, melon day! Snackaduty Mama Sterrett provided watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe for us all to taste test, write about, and graph. Thumbs up! It was a "try day"( You do not have to eat a large portion, but you must try everything). We all gave it a shot and found some new favorite fruits :) Thanks Mama Sterrett!!
Wednesday, I scream, you scream, we all scream for...Ice cream!!! Mama Sterrett provided everything we needed for healthy smoothies for morning snack and then...we made homemade ice cream! YUMMMMMMMMM!
Thursday, H2O day! Their smiles say it all :)

Ever wonder what is inside of a marker? What makes it work? How does it hold ink? What is ink? Why does it dry out if I leave the lid off? K wondered, explored, and found answers.

Then we took it a step further. We soaked the dried markers in water and made water color paints to use in class. In the final photo, Nolan and Caleb are explaining their thoughts on how a marker works. They were pretty much correct :)

Field day!

Thank you Mama Beuchelt and Mama Davis for the fun in the sun and the tie dyed cupcakes to match our tie dyed t-shirts :)
Goldilocks and Three Bears, ask us what we are doing!
Nolan's big brother, Porter, won the opportunity to bring 7 friends over to K for an activity filled period. The 4th and 3rd graders taught the Ks how to play various "old school" card and board games. Can you say "AWESOME!" Four 5th graders pooled their classroom resources to win the same opportunity for themselves. Needless to say, we are ready to challenge anyone on a rainy afternoon or snow day! Thanks, big kids!

April 2018

Kindergarten thanks all of the mamas and daddies for their efforts in making our school auction a success. Why am I frowning in the photo? My bid did not win :( Daddy Burke really did a fine job with this absolutely beautiful cooler box.

We have learned many things this school year. We can pour from a pitcher into our own cups. We know how to cool off when we are hot. We can, also, collaborate to make a large mural for our classmates. Together, we can accomplish much.

A huge thank you to all of the creative mamas and daddies who have made the best snacks in town for our class to enjoy and learn! Mama Hart created little pigs for our study of The Three Little Pigs. She also made a fruit clock, silver dollar pancakes that were coins with denominations on them, for us to add up as we ate. And the dirt cake!

Indigo Bunting

An indigo bunting, rare treat to see one up close and to feel the feathers and spread the wings.
What are we doing? Ask your K ;)
It is official, spring has sprung in Irvington.
A walk down the nature trail, in search of signs of spring. Seasons change.
Another visit to the Deltaville Maritime Museum . Always a fabulous day and so much to learn! Thank you, again, to Karen Minter, ET Minter, and all of the museum volunteers who make these visits such a success. A big thank you to Mama Liner, Kelsey's mom, who joined us on this big trip.

March 2018

Spring is coming in like a lion, but Ks are greeting it with excitement! Frisbee anyone? Malcolm, Henry, Finley, and Nolan show us how to toss and catch a frisbee with style (in between the strong winds we have had).
Can you say onomatopoeia? We can, almost. Words that sound like the sounds they describe. Pop!
3dimensional shapes and following multistep verbal instruction. We explore shapes with our hands. Cones, pyramids, cubes, spheres, rectangular prisms, we can form them all :)

PIGS!

Veronica and her dad (Daddy Edmonds) shared two 48 hour old piglets with our class. We were able to further our animal studies, exploring and experiencing these two sweeties up close and personal. From the movement in the photos, it is easy to see how much excitement Daddy Edmonds brings to the classroom with each of his visits. (Spoiler alert! He returns with even cuter babies!) Look out Santa; there may be some piglets on the list this year!
K is writing a book. We are researching animals and habitats to have our backgrounds correct. Stay tuned for more. We are presenting these later in the spring. Brooke is studying butterflies.

Are you ready for snack? Let's eat some dirt and worms!

Dirt cake and gummy worms, that is! Kelsey, Mama and Daddy Liner surprised us all with two flower pots for snack :) Eat that? Yuck! is what we thought. Yum! is what we found out! Thank you!

the three billy goats, gruff

K style

Who's that trip trapping over my bridge?
Don't eat me! Wait for my big sister, she's much bigger than I.
Don't eat me!
The troll is defeated by the oldest goat :)

We all had a turn acting in our Readers' Theatre.

Trip-trap, trip-trap...

I can make my own snack!

Ks have learned to safely cut their own bagels and to spread cream cheese to enjoy!

Goat kids!

Daddy Edmonds is back, with goats this time. They are so cute! The goat kids and the K kids :)

Thank you, Veronica, for sharing your farmlife experience with us.
:)
Round robin Ladybird beetles. Continuing our insect study and exploration into symmetry (as well as cooperation, communication, and collaboration), Ks followed multistep verbal directions to draw and label beetles. Then, created their own exoskeleton design on one side. We traded papers and attempted to mirror the image on the other side. The fantastic results will be in our science journals to share this summer.

Good morning, Sunshine!

Mama and Daddy Liner continued to raise the bar with our snacks. We so enjoyed the clementine/raisin flowers :)
Enough said.
Sophia shared and practiced her reading skills with our class. Way to go, Sophia!
Look at K go! We can set up Academy hall for lunch.

Happy Saint patrick's day

Emory, Mama, and Daddy Simmons continued the extra special snack tradition that has become the norm for us in K. Thank you so, so much for making us feel so special!
Sequencing and time, reading a schedule, order of events in a day...we've got this!
Blue skies (at the blue skies table) taste yummy! (Jello with cool whip clouds)
And the winner is...Ashlin! Ashlin won the school wide rock, paper, scissors competition :)

Station Work and Book Clubs, K is getting the job done. Learning is fun!

Rainbow fruit kabobs with cloud dip...yum, yum, yum!
More learning stations.

Pigs, take 2. Second visit, 2 weeks of growth versus 2 days of growth.

Daddy Edmonds returned with one of the piglets from his first visit and a new 2 day old piglet. We compared, contrasted, and loved the piglets!
An animal that moves faster than an excited kindergartener!
So adorable!!
Kelsey and Ashlin roll up our gigantic number line . We know how to use it and how to clean up after ourselves.
Leprechaun tricks trail mix! Far out!
River shared his reading practice of Pete The Cat's Snow Day with our class. (How appropriate!) Fabulous job, River!

Have you ever been to the opera? We have! And we loved it!

Virginia Opera Company presented another version of The Three Billy Goats, Gruff. In the end, the moral of the story is still the same...kindness is contagious.
Oh my goodness! Mama Simmons has done it again! Qu quilts for us to make and enjoy :) We further our learning when our five senses are employed.
Signing in is important "work" for a K. By signing your name, you: practice handwriting, answer a question, mark attendance, learn patience by waiting your turn, express yourself with the color you choose, sometimes make a prediction, practice reading, practice graphing, and in discussion, we work out equations with our answers. All in a day's work.
Julian knows he can find the color he needs by reading the color words on the colored pencil, crayon, or marker and comparing.
Number lines, we can do it!
Daddy Kenyon visited March 12 to honor Ashlin's birthday with a dramatic reading. Thank you for coming in!

And then..................for Kelsey and Ashlin's birthdays (maybe. I cannot imagine why else it would happen).....

it snowed!
Station rotation in action.
Julian and Mama Hart made these sweet bird nests and eggs for us to enjoy. Thank you for helping us to swing into spring in sweet style! So much creativity and learning goes into our snacks. Thank you Mama Hart and all of our families for continuing to help us build our brains in every way we can :)
The Magic Pail Readers' Theatre production in our classroom. We all take turns.

Salt

In our investigation of ocean habitats, we wondered where the salt water comes from and where does our table salt come from.

Ask a k about our investigation and experience with salt.
Learning to write and read time to the hour, analog and digital.
Delicious digraphs! Cheese and ham on white wheat sandwiches with Cheetos. Mama Hart has outdone herself!

Sunshine, muddy shoes, and smiles

February 2018

Let's build a zoo :)

As part of our continuing study of animals and habitats, we have built a zoo for our classroom. We all chose an animal, researched it, drew it, designed and built a habitat for it, and will use it as our foundation for our Artstravaganza projects.

Groundhog Day Math

Predictions, statistics, counting, graphing, taking turns, addition, subtraction, FUN!

Flip a coin graphing.
Don't let anyone tell you that math isn't fun.

Groundhog Day Roll and Cover...with a friend and dice, we can enjoy subtilizing and addition practice. Roll the dice, subitize, add the numbers, find the groundhog, color, smile and giggle. Be sure to keep your dice on the paper :)

What do we want to be when we grow up? K can write about it!
Eat the important part first.
We can use the microwave at lunch. Yes, yes we can :)
Entomology is delicious! Just ask a K. Ants on a log and butterflies for snack? YUMMY!
Snack gets buggy...
In assembly, we sometimes play whole school games. Brendan was chosen to play Knockout with other participants from Lower School. He scored high with us!
Ask us about Valentine preparations. Paint, paper hearts, glue, staples, love...

Muttsville Comics

Woof!
Valentine math
Candy Heart Science. We placed 2 candy hearts in liquid. One container was filled with water, the other was filled with sweet water (carbonated water). We wanted to know what would happen to the candy. We identified the constant and the variable. We predicted, discussed, watched, walked away to eat lunch, returned to find our results. Sink or float? Dissolve or melt, or neither? Ask us :)
Let's party, Valentine style.

stations

Friends!
Our Osprey girls' basketball team made it to the ISAC championship ! We cheered them as they left for the big game. Let's go Ospreys, let's go!

"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day."

January 2018

Julian kisses Mom good day and heads in independently :) Kindergarteners are independent and strong. They have the ability and desire to do more for themselves now that they have a semester of school under their belts.
Working in stations, independently, is an everyday task that all Ks can handle with ease.
Working across grade levels :) Eighth graders created Rube Goldberg devices in science class. They shared their successes and explained how they used simple machines to meet their goals. Having learned about the design loop, Ks know that the best laid plans are usually worth revisiting as you build and rebuild to be your best. Plan C is typically the success.

Rube Goldberg - (adjective) ingeniously or unnecessarily complicated in design or construction: a Rube Goldberg machine.

Open up and say, "AAAHHH!"

Skip Counting

WE play loads of games to learn skip counting to 100 by 5, 10, and 25. Here, we play our favorite...POP.
5, 10, 15, 20, ....
Learning is so much FUN!
Who will 100 POP land on?
Ask a K how to play. You could play at home :)
More ways to skip count. Making sets and counting by sets. We also dabble in the basic concept of multiplication and division, as well as coin equivalents.

Let's go on a field trip! The Deltaville Maritime Museum

K and firsts were treated to a morning of activities with Ukranian folk tale, The Mitten. Thank you to Karen Minter, former CA K teacher, for setting up this more than fabulous experience for our K and 1st graders. Thank you to Daddy Latell for joining us and helping us to sty on track.
Ashlin practiced his reading skills by entertaining the class with his book club choice for the week, Batty Bat. Way to go Ash!
We are working to recognize and write our last names and the last names of our friends. Our class has three writing work tables that express our ability to use our superb manners all day long! The Sunshine Table, The Blue Skies Table, and Lavender Fields Table.

If we try new things and build a healthy routine and repertoire of great foods, we will have healthy lives, bodies, and lifestyles all life long! Thank you Mama and Daddy Angstrom for the healthy snack choices :)

Everybody Limbo Time!
Yes, yes we did. We held and manipulated dead birds. What better way to understand nature than with the real thing. We found the Yellow Rumped Warbler on the playground and the Cardinal flew into the window at Mrs. V's. Yes, we sanitized afterward.
I can build a zoo, build a snowman, read about a snowman, write about a snowman, use a hundreds board, write a note to a friend, lead a friend in building a snowman, write my numbers, spell my last name, make a beaded bracelet, and enjoy the fun of learning how to do it all :)
We are respectful of the early childhood extended day sleepers. We are silent coming into the building after PE and other specials in the afternoon. Way to go Rays of Sunshine!
Ks welcomed the Pre-K kids for their first Step-Up day. Samuel and Elise were excellent greeters, welcoming the PKs with a smile and a handshake.
Ks treated the PKs to a story, flannel board presentation, and question and answer session.
Thank you for visiting with us, again, Marshall Revere, daughter of CA Middle School math teacher, Mrs.Alice Revere. You were loads of fun and we welcome you back anytime!

Snow Days :)

To be little and in the snow :)

Snow days, what a blessing.

Happy New Year :)

Merry Christmas!

Santa, Cocoa, and smiles.

It's a field trip :)

A field trip to see the Christmas decorations around our community led to a surprise of epic proportions!
Who do you spy?
Santa!
Lots of K Mamas, Gmas, and Dads were in town, too.
Even Mrs.Marple (former CA teacher) was there.
Warm hands, warm hearts.
Thank you, Grandmother and Grandfather Farmer for this so special treat! What a memory to have.
He listens to everyone.
Notice the joy on the faces of the couple having lunch.
"...and how do you..."
Merry Christmas!

This is a time of peace, joy, and love. Please look over these captured moments with those things in mind. If you wonder what K may be doing, ask a K. They are experts in their work and play. Our hearts are full of gratitude for the extra special snacks and experiences the families of our class have provided and shared with us. Thank you so much :)

An extra gigantic thank you to Mama and Daddy Sanders for spending a gingerbread afternoon with us! And to Family Simmons and Family Latell for powerful learning snacks during our Christmas celebrations. And to Mama Davis for the absolutely beautiful salt dough ornaments for us to decorate and share.

Thank you!

Gratitude by Earth, Wind, & Fire

Wanna thank you yeah

Wanna thank you

Wanna thank you yeah

Wanna thank you

Holy sound

Holy sound yeah yeah

We just wanna give gratitude yeah

We got plenty love we wanna give to you yeah

With feel good music we're tryin' to say, say

Thank the good Lord's gonna make a way

Holy sound

Holy sound

Open up your heart, let your body find

Freedom in your stride, love, peace of mind, yeah

One more time and we got to say, yeah

Thank the good Lord gonna make a way

Gonna make a way

Holy sound

Holy sound (sing it baby, sing it, sing it)

We just wanna sing (holy sound)

Holy sound

Holy sound

Holy sound

Songwriters: Lorenzo Dunn / Lorenzo Russell Dunn / Maurice White / Verdine White / Verdine Adams White

December 6, 2017

Wanna learn and play with us?

Gingerbread Week

What happens if the Gingerbread man falls into the river before the fox can eat him? Ask a K. They know:)
Measuring the man.
(The Latells have set the snack bar really high!)
Do you know the gingerbread man?

Oh, No! The Gingerbread Man ran away!

When we realized he was on the loose, we had to take action! We looked around and around. He left us clues as to his next stops.
Another hint!
A clue!
Ms. Connie, have you seen him?
Coach, is he in the gym?
A clue!
Could he be in here? Do you hear him? "Run, run, run, as fast as you can. You can't catch me. I'm the gingerbread man!"
Is he in the art room?
Mrs. Smith and grade 2, have you seen him?
Is that an elf on the porch? An accomplice, maybe?
Ms Connie? The clues sent us back to you.
Mr. Abbott? Did you catch him?
Mrs. Keesee? Why does your office smell so good?
Gotcha!
Snip-snap and Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
The beauty of each day can be simple. Kathryn set up this photo. She said, "Isn't this just beautiful?"
Ask us what we are doing. Gobble, gobble, roll the dice.

Festival of the Trees

Thank you K Moms and Dads for helping us to help our community with our donation. Our Feast for The Birds tree was a beautiful sight!
Eighth grade stopped by for a lesson mathematics.
A little practice goes a long way!
Getting fitted for costumes for the Holiday Program of Lessons and Carols.
Perseverance today = Confidence tomorrow.

I can get by with a little help from my friends.

We help our friends when they are in need.
Have you seen me write a sentence? Did you hear me read it? I can!

I can count, use a grid, and lead my peers!

We all take turns having a spotlight opportunity to share what we know and to grow as confident learners.

A visit from the talented Daddy Kenyon :)
Word sorts, coding maps, writing and spelling words, finger gym, sorting food groups, Kmart, and sorting moola :)

November 10, 2017

Veterans Day
Ask a k about the poppies we made and wore. We honor and thank our veterans.

Sink or Float? hmmmmm...

We predict.
We prepare our supplies for the experiment to test our hypothesis.
We are all responsible and have a job to do.
Test.
What was our conclusion?

We revisit our hypothesis. Now, we question ourselves, will a pumpkin sink or float? Will size of the pumpkin make a difference?

We gather our data for forming a new hypothesis.
Survey and tally.
We graph.
Discuss our opinions and use our schema to make final predictions.
Ask a k why the pumpkins floated and what happened when we placed the larger pumpkin in the water. Ask them why, they know!
We examine leaves with scientific tools.

Working Together class with first graders is a "challenge" :) We were challenged to use only the limited supplies given and the knowledge we gained from our science experiment with sink and float to build a boat that would float.

Success!
We are k :)
We are reading and writing! Ask a k why we call the C.O.P.S. after we write.
Success in so many ways :) Tying shoes, Write the Room, spelling words.
A visit from, author, David Mark Lopez. Exciting stories form an engaging speaker!
Look at us walking in a fabulous line! K says goodbye to short sleeve and shorts weather and hello to brisk autumn breezes.

Smile!

November 3, 2017

Ks collected acorns from under the CA old oak. We counted them, decided whether we had odd or even amounts, divided many ways, practicing equal and non equal amounts...then 7th grade joined us for more practice. Show what you know :)

Circles, o, a, p, d, c, q, r, u, s, d, f, g, h, j, b, n, m, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 0, ovals, and cylinders all have curves that go... around and around.

So, we danced around and around to a Woody Guthrie tune.

If we can go around, so can our letters and numbers :)

Then we practiced going around and around with our handmade pine straw paintbrushes and paint.
Strengthen your wrist and sing the tune. (look it up on Youtube)
Just the tips. Ask a K, they know what this means.
Stations. Ask a K. What are you doing?
Math and Reading and sharing. K can do it all!

Dismissal is a time to practice our listening skills and manners.

More station work and yummy apple pie snack! Ashlin and his folks made apple pies for our class snack :) Thank you Mom and Dad Kenyon!

Did you see a shadow puppet story? Ks made shadow puppets to share their weekly reading work.

Alex Higgins, first grader and guest reader!

Let's go to the Irvington Post Office!

Gonna wrap myself in paper, gonna dab myself with glue. Gonna stick some stamps on top of my head and mail myself to you! Woody Guthrie (Do you sense a trend?)

Wow! Ks wrote postcards to send to family members all over the country. We used the crosswalk :) Ms Catherine Emry met us there to explain how she uses the Post Office for her work at CA. We met a kind neighbor who showed us how she uses her post office box and key. We held our partner's hand to be safe and secure :) We waved hello to River's grandparents :)

monkey bar gloves

Mallory is using her Mom's biking gloves to protect her hands as she builds her muscles on the monkey bars. Super idea!!

Go Mal-Gal! (Look at how fast Elise can run, also!)
Julian joined our Science class as we discussed leaves, chlorophyl, and changing seasons.
Daily practice has seriously improved our handwriting!
More station work. Boy, do we work hard!

Spirit week

Tourists Day

Just goes to prove, no matter how far away from home you may go, you will always find a friend!
It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, play performed by 8th grade.
How to design and carve a pumpkin (and roast and eat the seeds). We wrote about this process. Check out our writings in our classroom!

Black and Orange day

Happy Halloween!

Thank you class Mamas and Dads for our fabulous party!
Trick or Treaters who spooked Mrs.V's neighborhood!

Look at what we can do in our PJs! Pajama day

We can do math, writing about pumpkins, learn about echolocation in the bathroom, pledge allegiance to the flag, go to assembly. I vote pajama day at least once a week. What do you vote, K?

Super Hero day

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!
Batman can fly upside down! Who knew?

The Justice League meets on the CA playground each day. The Northern Neck is safe!

Captain America and Batman are on the job 24/7!

Even a super hero needs an education :)

Crazy Hair day

LOOK! We are writing complete sentences!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finger gym...tying knots. Work those fingers!

"i'm so happy to be here." arlo guthrie

October 6, 2017

Fourth grade joined us to "Boo!" the Middle School hall while Middle Schoolers were away at Inward Bound :)

Dr. Hall was scared silly!
We were mesmerized by the presentation by the harpist.
Do we see harp lessons in the near future for some lucky K?

Getting ready for Grandparents' and Grandfriends' Day

Everyone has a number on their finger. It helps us to remember our place in line :)

Let's get in order. We know our numbers and places. Let's go!
I want to share the beautiful day with you and you and you!
Sing it loud! Sing it proud!
We can sit patiently, waiting for our turn. Anticipation is making me crazy!
Look at us! We know our order, the hand motions, and all of the words to all of the songs. Our families will be so proud of our hard work!
Thank you Snackaduty Mom Davis! We looooved the fruit kabobs :) and all of the Halloween treats all week long.

Grandparents' and Grandfriends' Day 2017

This day always makes me miss my Memas and Papa. These children are so loved!

Showtime!

Come on guys! We've got this!
We showed our true colors :)

Snickerdoodles for the deserving Ks! I baked them all a treat for their excellent behavior and tireless effort in preparing for the big day. Way to go Ks!

Babcia!

A visit from Babcia Aline Gawlik. "Babcia", as we at CA lovingly refer to her, blesses us with lots of stories, great cookie treats from far away places, kind words, and books. Lots and lots of books! She is Alex (1st grade) and Andrew (7th grade) Fulmer's grandmother. She is originally from Poland, now living in the DC area and a true citizen of the world. Thank you for your treats, stories, and gifts of books for our classrooms! We love you, Babcia!

Let's play "I Spy". I spy with my little eye, Julian (pronounced "Hoo-lee-ann") exchange student from Guatemala, Caleb washing our glue brushes, strengthening fingers with tearing tissue, Adventurers Book Club creating QR code videos, painting with just the tips for a fine brush stroke, Beebots and algorithms, focussing Ks, learning Ks, an Explorers Book Club member creating her red word card ring set (independently), joy in learning.

This post is dedicated to our class guinea pig, Rosemary. She passed away after a long life of listening to our stories, snuggling us as we read, eating our snacks (veggies and fruits), and whistling at our voices. Thank you, dear friend, for 8 years of love and happiness in our little neck of the woods. We will miss you, greatly.

It's time for a new adventure. let's go!

Scroll through the remaining pages of this site to see what September and October have been for our little rays of sunshine.

Meet and Greet was Tuesday, September 5 :)

Meet and Greet 2017-18 A smiling success!

First day of Kindergarten

September 6, 2017

Good Day Sunshine

September 7, 2017

What could we be doing? Working on our finger and upper body strength? Taking out the trash? Perhaps making Science notebook covers? Thank you Tri-Star for the bags :) We tore off the handles, separated at the seams, smashed it up, smoothed it out, and repeated...and repeated, repeated, repeated. Ask your K why we did these steps. Then, we wrote our names in green and cut the paper to fit over the pages and stapled. What will we do with these? You'll see.

Who's that sitting in the chair, chair, chair? We're so glad you're here, here , here. Rise up and choose a friend to greet, then smile and take your seat :)

We learned to shake hands with our right, to look each other in the eyes and say, "Good morning, my friend. I am so glad you are here."

Learning the names of new friends is important and so much fun!

Our tables may have earned a smiley face today :) We are learning to get our own cups of water, say our Thankfuls, and to use our table manners.
I can get my work done , put away my supplies, and turn it in to Skip-it's box.
Stations .
Mallory is keeping her shirttail tucked in :) Where are we going with partner in hand? On a vacation, of course. Ask a K about pausing to notice life all around. They can fill you in. We are using The Curious Nature Guide by Clare Walker Leslie to lead us through our science studies. Our current unit is entitled Begin. We will discuss this at Back to School Night :)

Another sunshiney day in K

September 8, 2017

The science notebooks...we are showing what we know by drawing what we saw and heard on our nature vacation. Then, we used them to illustrate what we saw out of our window to Pete's Pond in Botswana, Africa.
Elephants!
In mathematics, this week, we are discussing sets of things that are similar (attributes) and counting items in a set.

We learned to use the iPad cameras, taking only 1 photo, and to open and close the apps we use. Following multistep directions is an essential skill. Way to go K!

River and the iPad camera are focussing on his set. Ask a K about a lense. They know.
We can do :)
Everybody loves Coach and PE!
Finger gym. Why did we collect sticks and wrap them with yarn? Everything we do in K has a purpose. They know why. They want to have strong fingers and hands for good pencil grip and handwriting. Focus. Fun. Friday.

Sunshine on my shoulders makes me HAPPY :)

September 13, 2017

Who is Matman? We are learning so many things at once with the introduction of Matman! We learn about curves and lines, big and small (which are what letters and numbers are made with). Details are extra bits of important information to add on. We learn about our body parts and what they are for, our five senses and their importance, and to top it all off...we learn how to draw people. (This is a rare opportunity to see me, Mrs.V!)
Julian demonstrates how to sit properly in a chair while writing. His feet are (were as I took the photo) on the floor in front of him, sitting tall, one hand on the paper, the other holds his pencil. Caleb can do it, too!
We begin our handwriting practice with the lowercase letter c. Ask a K to demonstrate the small curve of a lowercase c. What sound does it make? River, Caleb, Henry, and Brendan know.
Elise extracts chlorophyl from leaves by hammering and moving pressure around the paper. This left a print of the leaf pattern on the pages of her Science notebook.
Kelsey and Veronica take turns with the hammer. Yes, it is a real hammer :)
Thank you, Emory for letting Mrs. Condrey use your notebook to show everyone how to find the next page. Dr.Hall is learning right along with us!
Kathryn and Brendan have climbed to the top!
Work Stations! They may seem like play, but we are working our brains and building fine motor skills. Ask a K about Finger Gym, lines and curves in play dough with silverware, color sorting, counting to build sets, ordering numbers, Doctors Nolan and Kathryn, and assembly. Also, ask us about our table teams and sit spots!
Gaga ball. Ks play this game along with older Ospreys. All age levels learn to work together, look out for the other guy, follow the rules, cheer for others, fall down- brush off-get back up again, and to climb over the wall. Bonus in this shot- Nolan knows how to turn his sweater outside right and to put it back on by himself.
Kindergarten works hard and plays hard :)
Kindergarten works hard and plays hard :)

Here comes the sun and I say, "It's all right!" sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

September 23, 2017

Apple, apple, big and round. Pick an apple and make it's sound.
Kathryn demonstrates how we use Pencil Pick-ups to learn control with our fingers and pencils.
Sophia is adding curls to the sheep in order to practice her curves.
Brendan shows us all how to write our names first, then to listen for instruction and get to work with a smile.
Station work is serious business. Ks use tools of learning. Yes, Elise is using the tape dispenser. She knows how. Yes, Finley is using a thumb-tack. He knows how. Doodle Pages are another way to practice focus and pencil control. All spaces are colored, leave no white, AND (as we learn to do these) like colors do not touch. Then, we practice scissor use. Veronica and Malcolm are searching for a way to build a tower "10 tall" using only paper squares and repurposed materials. They found more than one way to skin that cat :)
Have a great day, Mom! This photo is an example of how happy Ks are to hug and kiss goodbye in the morning. It is a quick gesture that means so much to them and to you. Be sure to grab your's everyday! By Christmas, all Ks should be able to say goodbye in the parking lot or on the porch and come in on their own. Yes, they can do it :)
Smiling siblings start the day off right :)
We keep our lunch boxes straight and orderly as we head to recess after lunch. Ks are responsible.

Working Together Class K and 1st

It takes two friends' hands to make a circle.
First graders taught K a name learning song based on the Eric Carle favorite, Brown Bear, Brown Bear. Charley is learning Julian's name.
Samuel, Samuel, who do you see? I see Jacur smiling at me :)
Nolan, Nolan, who do you see? I see Caleb smiling at me.
Finley whispers his name to a new friend :)
Observation, investigation. K knows how to use a magnifying glass properly. We know all about corn cobs, kernels, husks, silks, and what happens when heat is applied. An explosion! Popcorn! We enjoyed it with grapes for a healthy snack :) I love it when a plan comes together! (Yes, I just quoted the A-Team)
Under what cup is the Mariposa? Ask a K! Mrs.Condrey speaks Spanish and has taught our Ks to sing their color words in this super fun game. Ask them how to play.
Mrs. Tonya, from the Lancaster Community Library, visits us on Fridays !! Everybody loves Mrs. Tonya!
Color of the week- blue, shapes of the week- circle, sphere, cylinder. Collaboration. Communication. Creation. Cooperation.

Always look on the bright side of life! (insert whistling here) Monty Python

September 29, 2017

What on earth are they doing? Multi-colored sand on a tray and they are shaking it around. Oh, no! What if they spill it? It will be a mess! Not in our classroom :) We are responsible for ourselves, our behavior, our belongings, and our environment. Ks know how to use materials properly and with respect. We are sand spelling our letters and sounds. Ask us how it works!
We can do it!

Apple Week Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman)

Taste testing different varieties.
Ginger Gold turned out to be the favorite when we surveyed, tallied, and graphed.
Can you eat the core?
How many fractions of an apple can we eat? Can we slice an apple horizontally and vertically? There is a surprise inside if you slice it horizontally!
Seeds, seeds, seeds.
What do you call the inside of an apple? Nolan knows.
Reading , writing, graphing, adding. All about apples.
Pie, pie, me oh my! Mama Sevier baked us apple pies for snack! YUMMY!
Ten Apples Up On Top, flannel board story. Counting, sequence, rhyme, predicting outcomes, cause and effect.
Dried apple rings. Yummmmm

I am learning so much, everyday and every step of the way.

Making our fingers show equal sets. We know equal, more, less, and altogether :)
Emory and Caleb smile as they sign in for the day :)
Cathy Bolinger, musician to the small set, entertained us all at our first PALS event. Caleb's mom can sing, too!

Frog or toad? Sophia found an amphibian friend and brought it in to share before releasing it to the wild.

What do you think it eats? Is it a boy or a girl? Will it be lonely?
Say hello and then goodbye.
Ask us how to spin :)
Anticipation...who will be the special guest?

Ranger Rick!

Ranger Rick came to thank CA for providing a safe space for nature.

You are so much sunshine in every square inch walt Whitman

October 5, 2017

Let's see...how does Mr.Kancianac take all of those pictures? What are the umbrellas for? Why do we need to sit still? Why does he have a cat on his head? Does he take his own picture, too? Are you having your picture taken?

Smile big, now!

Our school spoke with a young woman from Tanzania, via Facebook Chat, to hear her first hand account of why fresh water is so important to us all. Our community supports the Walk for Water campaign to raise money for water purifiers in African nations. This young woman walked 12 miles, each way, to get water (unfiltered) for her family. She made this trip many times per day, not attending school. Many students were able to ask questions and to discuss how her life changed as she moved to America.
Stations :)

Our older school friends take us to Ms Connie if we get hurt on the playground. Finley scraped his knee. Brennan (4th grade) takes him to get a band aid and a hug :) Thank you friend.

Big Toe Buddies

What better reading buddy than my big toe?
Friends.

Be someone's sunshine today.

Appreciate
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