Insects are awesome!

This past week our class started our insect unit. Let me tell you, the kids are so into it! We started off by making a KWL chart, this stands for "what I know," "what I wonder," and "what I learned." I was surprised by how much they already knew about insects, but their questions were the absolute best. These kindergartners are scientists in the making. They wondered such things as, "What do insects live in?" "What do they eat?" and "Where or how do they sleep?" I was really impressed with their thinking. We read a couple of books about insects and then on Thursday we started our insect mural. I gave students pieces of a mural puzzle and also insect cutouts. We used water colors on the mural puzzle and markers or crayons on the insects cutouts. We put it all together and we have a masterpiece! It is so beautiful and the kids are so proud. Here are some pictures of us working hard and then the end result.

As you all know, we went on a field trip to the Prairie Park Nature Center on Friday. I hope you got a chance to talk to you kinder about it, because it was just a blast. We started off the day by going to the park near the center, eating lunch, and playing hard. Then we walked on the trail to the center, which was actually quite a long trek. Once we got their, we split the three classes into two groups. My group started off by going into one of the classrooms at the center and exploring insects. We actually got to touch a millipede, stick bug, and hissing cockroach. I am really proud of the kids for trying new things, because let me tell you, that millipede was big! After our classroom time we headed out to the field where we actually got to hunt for bugs! It was so much fun using the big nets and jars. Some of the bugs that the kids caught were; spiders, grasshoppers, butterflies, moths, leaf bugs.

Finally the kiddos got a chance to walk around the center and see some of the creatures that live there. I was quite a fan of the black footed ferret. Our leader told us that it THE most endangered mammal in this country, with only less than a thousand left. She was so cute! After that we headed back to school, quite late, but heading back nonetheless.

April 9th - April 13th

The weeks are winding down and the kindergartners are turning into first graders little by little! However, it is important for them to remember that there is still a lot of school left. Please help remind the kiddos that they need to do their best and show their PRIDE at school. They do a great job of doing this, but sometimes the sillies just work their way in :)

This week in reading we will...

• Continue working on our fairy tale unit by exploring stories, both traditional and non-traditional. 

This week in math we will...

• Create a teen number book with drawings.
• Work on subtraction.
• Work on equal and not equal.

Starting in two weeks we will also begin our ladybug unit in science and I am so very excited about that! We will also be going on a field trip, but more on that later this week, expect a note coming home. I am also planning on teaching a short unit on weather, which will begin as soon as possible too.

In other news, continue to send your kiddos to school with light jackets, because it can be quite cool during morning recess. Keep up the great work at home, by reading, talking, and just believing in your child!

April 2nd - April 6th

Well, it is quite an exciting Monday! First, it's April, how has that happened? And second, tonight the Jayhawks will play in the championship game! The kiddos seem pretty excited, but so far they are doing an excellent job of remembering that we still have a lot of school left in the day.

This week in reading we will...

• continue working on our fairy tale unit

This week in math we will...

• work on building numbers 1-20 with our ten sticks and centimeter cubes
• keep practicing recognizing and making partners

In addition to the things mentioned above, we will also be getting back into our writing. We will finish the Ideas trait this week and begin Organization. It has been so amazing to watch them grow as writers! I know that you would be proud!